LEGENDARY 

H  EROES  OF 
I 


BY 
HAmOLD  -B 


GIFT  OF 
Class   of  1887 


■ 


II llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllfllTl]^ 


Legendary  Heroes 
of  Ireland 

By 

HAROLD  F.  HUGHES 


1922 

HARR  WAGNER  PUBLISHING  CO. 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 


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Copyright 

1922 

Harold  F.  Hughes 


DEDICATION 

TO  MY  FATHER 

WHOSE  TALES  OF  THE  IRISH  HEROES 

FIRST  OPENED  TO  ME  THE 

WONDERLAND  OF 

CELTIC  FOLKLORE 


482332 


TEACHER'S  PREFACE 

These  stories  are  offered  in  the  hope  that  they 
may  help  promote  the  love  of  reading  in  our 
boys  and  girls.  After  all,  our  duty  in  teaching  read- 
ing is  not  in  the  subject  matter  but  in  the  desire. 
If  we  show  to  the  child  that  the  art  of  reading  is 
the  golden  key  which  will  unlock  the  storehouse  of 
life  enjoyment,  and  give  him  the  love  for  the  secrets 
of  the  printed  page,  we  may  consider  that  our  edu- 
cational effort  has  been  well  spent.  So  the  primary 
object  in  writing  these  stories  has  not  been  to  chron- 
icle history  but  to  give  the  child  something  interest- 
ing and  entertaining. 

The  early  Celts  have  little  literature  other  than 
these  stories,  which  have  been  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation  by  word  of  mouth.  Most 
of  the  tales  in  this  book  have  been  taken  from  the 
Ossianic  Saga.  Whether  Finn  belongs  to  history  or 
mythology  detracts  no  jot  from  the  absorbing  inter- 
est of  his  exploits. 

I  have  tried  to  make  the  story  of  Finn  something 
of  a  connected  narrative.  To  do  this  I  have  taken 
incidents  from  various  versions ;  I  have  left  out  much 
unsuitable  to  children,  and  I  have  changed  some  inci- 
dents to  conform  to  the  modern  standards  of  morals. 


The  chronology  of  arrangement  is  my  own,  but  I 
have  tried  to  preserve  the  spirit  of  the  originals. 

No  collection  of  Irish  folk  stories  could  be  brought 
out  were  it  not  for  the  work  of  those  many  scholars 
who  have  spent  years  in  collecting  and  translating 
the  tales  of  the  Celtic  race.  To  our  American  lin- 
guist, Jeremiah  Curtin,  and  to  the  Irish  scholars: 
Sir  Douglas  Hyde,  Dr.  Joyce,  Eleanor  Hull,  Lady 
Gregory,  T.  W.  Rolleston  and  others,  my  thanks  are 
due.  Their  splendid  research  work  has  made  pos- 
sible such  a  volume  as  this. 

Harold  F.  Hughes. 


TABLE  OF   CONTENTS 

PAGE 

1.  Mythology  of  Ireland 9 

2.  The  Fenians 15 

3.  The  Birth  of  Finn 18 

4.  Boyhood  of  Finn 23 

5.  Finn  Claims  His  Inheritance 28 

6.  Finn  and  the  Scottish  Giant 36 

7.  The  Story  of  Saba 47 

8.  Conan  the  Bald 53 

9.  Dermot  of  the  Love  Spot 58 

10.  Dermot  Rescues  Finn 64 

11.  The  Worthless  Servant 101 

12.  Dermot  and  Grainne 126 

13.  The  Battle  of  Ventry  Strand 134 

14.  The  Death  of  Dermot 148 

15.  The  Battle  of  Gowra 155 


That  evening  Cool  climbed  to  the  window 

From  Birth  of  Finn 


MYTHOLOGY    OF    IRELAND 

Every  race  of  people  has  its  myths  and  hero  tales. 
With  those  of  the  Greeks  most  of  us  are  familiar. 
We  have  heard  of  Hercules,  Perseus,  Atlas  and  oth- 
ers, ever  since  we  started  to  school.  The  early  sto- 
ries of  a  race  are  always  entertaining  as  well  as  in- 
structive. For  that  reason  our  school  libraries  con- 
tain the  folk  stories  of  the  Japanese,  the  Norsemen, 
the  Russians,  the  English,  the  American  Indian,  the 
negro  and  many  others.  The  one  people,  of  whose 
stories  Americans  know  little,  is  the  Celtic  race,  the 
forefathers  of  the  Scotch  and  Irish  of  today,  and  the 
ancestors  of  many  of  us.  This  book  is  intended  to 
make  you  acquainted  with  the  ancient  heroes  of 
the  Celts. 

Just  as  King  Arthur  is  the  early  hero  of  the  An- 
glo-Saxon people,  so  is  Finn  MacCool  the  renowned 
hero  of  the  Celts.  Like  King  Arthur  he  had  gath- 
ered together  a  body  of  heroes,  all  of  whom  per- 
formed deeds  of  valor.  In  Scotland  we  find  stories 
of  this  same  hero,  only  the  Scotch  people  call  him 
Fingal. 

Most  of  the  stories  which  follow  are  tales  of  the 
adventures  of  Finn  and  his  friend,  Dermot.     These 


10  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

tales  are  about  events  which  are  supposed  to  have 
taken  place  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago. 

No  doubt  you  wonder  how  we  know  anything  about 
people  who  lived  so  long  ago.  The  very  name,  folk 
stories,  explains  it.  Folk  stories  are  told  by  the  folk, 
or  people,  of  the  country.  Sometimes  we  find  the 
tales  written  in  an  ancient  book,  but  most  of  them 
come  down  through  the  centuries  by  one  person  tell- 
ing the  story  to  another. 

You  know  that  when  you  hear  a  good  story,  you 
like  to  tell  it  to  little  brother  or  sister  or  some  play- 
mate. That  is  just  the  way  the  folk  stories  come 
to  us.  In  some  countries  there  were  bards  or  poets 
who  went  around  and  sang  of  the  old  heroes.  We 
often  read  of  these  men  in  Scotch  history.  The  most 
common  way  of  preserving  the  stories,  however,  was 
by  the  father  and  mother  telling  their  children  of 
the  ancient  heroes.  These  children  grew  up  and  re- 
peated the  tales  to  their  own  families,  and  so  the 
story  was  preserved  through  the  ages. 

There  is  an  old  Irish  legend  that  explains  this 
method  very  nicely. 

Finn  had  a  son  named  Ossian,  of  whom  you  will 
read  a  great  deal  as  we  go  on.  This  son  was  a  poet 
and  sang  the  deeds  of  his  father  in  verse.  The  story 
runs  that  before  the  great  battle  of  Gowra,  Ossian 
had  fallen  in  love  with  a  fairy  and  had  gone  to  Fairy- 
land to  live.    He  lived  in  this  land  of  youth  for  four 


MYTHOLOGY  OF  IRELAND  11 

hundred  years,  growing  no  older.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  wanted  to  go  back  to  earth  and  see  if 
he  could  see  any  of  his  old  friends.  Time  went  so 
quickly  in  Fairyland  that  he  did  not  realize  how  long 
he  had  been  away. 

His  fairy  wife  gave  him  a  horse  to  ride  and  warn- 
ed him  that  he  must  not  touch  a  foot  to  the  ground. 
Then  Ossian  rode  away. 

He  came  to  Erin  and  rode  through  the  scenes  of 
his  adventures.  He  was  surprised  not  to  find  any  of 
his  old  friends.  Not  only  that,  he  found  that  the  men 
were  very  much  smaller  than  those  of  his  time.  He 
saw  six  of  them  trying  to  roll  a  stone  which  his 
father  could  have  moved  with  one  hand.  He  grew 
so  sorry  for  them  that  he  forgot  all  about  his  wife's 
orders.  He  got  off  his  horse  to  move  the  stone.  The 
instant  he  touched  the  ground  he  became  a  wrinkled 
and  bent  old  man. 

Then,  the  story  tells  us,  the  people  took  him  to  St. 
Patrick,  and  he  told  this  Irish  saint  the  stories  of 
Finn  and  his  companions. 

It  is  a  very  pretty  story  to  explain  how  these  le- 
gends became  known.  Of  course,  it  is  not  true,  but 
it  shows  the  imagination  of  the  Irish  people.  They 
believe  in  fairies  and  witches  and  the  powers  of  en- 
chantment. You  will  find  that  this  belief  enters  into 
all  the  stories.  That  is  another  thing  about  folk  tales. 
Each  person  who  tells  them  adds  something  to  them. 


12  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

No  doubt  you  have  been  to  parties  where  a  game 
something  Hke  this  was  played:  The  players  form 
a  long  row.  Then  the  one  on  the  end  whispers  some- 
thing to  his  neighbor,  this  person  whispers  what  he 
heard  to  the  next  player,  and  so  on.  The  last  player 
tells  what  has  been  told  him.  It  is  nearly  always 
something  entirely  different  from  the  story  which 
started. 

Folk  stories  grow  in  just  that  manner.  The  dif- 
ferent provinces  of  Ireland  have  different  versions  of 
the  stories.  In  some  parts  of  the  country  Finn  is 
the  hero,  and  Dermot  proves  untrue  to  him.  In  an- 
other province,  Dermot  is  the  splendid  man  and  Finn 
is  a  cruel  tyrant.  The  stories  which  follow  in  this 
book  are  combined  from  those  of  all  the  provinces. 
This  book  is  not  a  history.  It  is  a  collection  of  in- 
teresting stories  about  heroes  who,  possibly,  never 
existed. 

II 

You  should  know  something  of  how  stories  of  this 
kind  are  gathered  together.  Many  were  taken  down 
by  the  priests  of  early  times,  but  none  were  ever  writ- 
ten until  nearly  a  thousand  years  ago.  Undoubtedly 
large  numbers  of  them  have  been  lost  by  the  death 
of  the  only  person  who  knew  them. 

It  is  only  in  the  last  few  years  that  the  Irish  schol- 
ars have  tried  to  gather  these  tales  together.    There 


MYTHOLOGY  OF  IRELAND  13 

are  many  of  these  collectors  of  Irish  hero  stories. 
Most  of  them,  of  course,  are  Irish,  but  America  has 
furnished  one  man  who  long  will  be  remembered  be- 
cause of  his  work  along  this  line. 

Jeremiah  Curtin  was  born  in  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin, in  1840.  He  died  in  1906.  Into  those  sixty-six 
years  he  crowded  the  work  of  several  ordinary  men. 
He  had  a  great  love  for  the  languages  and  history. 
When  he  graduated  from  Harvard,  he  was  so  well 
acquainted  with  Russian  that  he  went  to  St.  Peters- 
burg, now  Petrograd,  as  Secretary  of  the  American 
Legation.  While  there  he  became  interested  in  Rus- 
sian literature  and  the  folk  stories  of  the  people.  He 
translated  many  Russian  books  into  English  and  also 
collected  a  volume  of  their  folk  tales. 

Many  men  would  have  been  satisfied  with  this. 
Mr.  Curtin  was  not.  He  became  connected  with  the 
Smithsonian  Institute  and  while  there  studied  the  folk 
tales  of  the  various  Indian  tribes.  He  wrote  two 
books  of  these  stories. 

He  next  took  up  the  study  of  Irish  folk  lore.  He 
spent  a  great  deal  of  time  in  Ireland  collecting  the 
stories  which  appear  in  three  books.  Whenever  he 
heard  of  some  old  man  or  woman  who  knew  an  old 
story,  he  went  to  that  place  and  got  the  person  to 
tell  it  to  him,  writing  it  down  as  it  was  told.  Many 
times  it  was  one  he  had  already  heard,  but  that  could 
not  discourage  Mr.  Curtin.    As  a  result  of  this  care 


14  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

his  books  are  very  valuable  to  the  older  students 
of  folk  lore. 

What  an  interesting  life  this  man  must  have  led! 
Think  of  the  work  he  must  have  done  to  learn  the 
many  languages  well  enough  to  get  the  stories.  We 
think  we  are  well  educated  if  we  can  read  two  or 
three  languages  beside  our  own.  Mr.  Curtin,  when 
he  died,  was  familiar  with  sixty  languages! 

And  now  that  we  know  something  about  how  folk 
lore  is  collected,  we  are  ready  to  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Finn  and  his  Fenian  warriors. 


THE  FENIANS  15 


THE  FENIANS 

The  stories  of  the  great  heroes  of  Ireland,  or  Erin 
as  it  used  to  be  called,  are  gathered  in  groups  around 
certain  men.  The  Fenians  whom  Finn  MacCool  com- 
manded from  the  age  of  ten  until  his  death,  was  a 
body  of  military  men  about  whom  the  best  known 
stories  are  told. 

These  Fenians  might  be  said  to  correspond  to  our 
standing  army.  There  were  three  groups  of  a  thou- 
sand men  each  in  peace  times.  In  time  of  war  the 
number  could  be  expanded  enough  to  take  in  all  who 
wished  to  fight.  Some  people  claim  that  Finn  and 
his  Fenians  never  existed.  Others  say  that  this  body 
of  men  did  exist  from  400  years  before  the  birth  of 
Christ  until  they  were  destroyed  in  a  great  battle  in 
the  year  284  A.  D.  Whether  they  formed  a  real 
army  or  not  does  not  spoil  our  enjoyment  of  their 
deeds  of  bravery. 

In  reading  the  exploits  of  the  Fenians  it  is  neces- 
sary to  remember  that  to  the  Irish  mind  these  men 
were  either  gods  or  giants,  many  times  the  size  of 
people  of  the  present  day.  If  you  forget  this  you  will 
not  be  able  to  understand  how  one  hero  can  hold  back 
a  whole  army  of  ordinary  soldiers,  and  how  strokes 


16  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

of  their  swords  cut  off  whole  hilltops  and  formed 
new  valleys. 

To  become  a  Fenian  was  a  great  honor.  It  was 
only  open  to  men  of  the  best  families  and  of  the  high- 
est character,  and  many  of  these  were  not  able  to 
pass  the  tests  required. 

In  the  first  place  a  Fenian  must  be  well  educated 
in  poetry  and  must  be  able  to  write  it  himself.  In 
other  words,  he  must  have  all  the  education  which 
those  days  gave.  Again,  he  must  pledge  himself  to 
be  kind  and  gentle  to  the  weak  and  oppressed,  to  be 
willing  to  fight  when  challenged  and  to  keep  up  the 
battle  until  he  won  or  was  killed.  He  must  promise 
never  to  injure  the  common  people,  not  to  allow  gold 
to  make  him  false  to  his  friends,  not  to  accept  a 
dowry  with  a  wife.  He  must  agree  not  to  run  away 
from  nine  or  less  champions,  and  his  parents  must 
pledge  themselves  not  to  seek  revenge  if  he  was  killed 
in  battle. 

The  physical  tests  were  even  harder  to  pass.  The 
candidate  must  have  his  hair  braided,  take  his  spear 
in  his  hand  and  through  the  forest.  After  he  was 
given  sufficient  start  he  was  pursued  by  other  Fen- 
ians. If  he  was  overtaken,  he  was  wounded  and  re- 
jected. If  his  spear  trembled,  or  if  he  broke  a  dry 
branch  in  his  flight,  that  also  barred  him  out.  Then, 
when  the  trial  was  over,  his  braids  were  examined. 
If  he  had  shaken  them  out  of  position,  proving  that 


THE  FENIANS  17 

he  had  had  to  work  hard  to  get  away,  he  had  to  give 
up  all  hopes  of  joining. 

Another  test  consisted  of  placing  him  in  a  hole  up 
to  his  waist  and  giving  him  a  shield  in  one  hand 
and  a  hazelwood  stick  in  the  other.  Nine  warriors 
with  nine  spears  formed  in  a  circle  and  threw  at  him. 
If  he  was  wounded  he  was  not  accepted.  No  wonder 
that  a  man  who  passed  such  tests  was  ready  to  face 
great  numbers  of  ordinary  soldiers. 

A  Fenian  had  also  to  be  very  nimble  and  supple. 
One  of  the  tests  was  to  put  up  a  lath  on  the  level  of 
his  eyebrows  and  another  farther  on,  just  the  height 
of  his  knees.  The  man  had  to  go  at  full  speed,  leap- 
ing over  the  first  one  and  going  under  the  second 
without  slackening  his  pace.  The  boys  who  read  this 
have  only  to  try  this  test  to  realize  that  a  Fenian 
would  be  a  winner  on  a  track  team  of  today. 

It  was  men  who  could  pass  such  tests  who  made 
up  the  kind  of  heroes  commanded  by  Cool,  Gaul  of 
Morna  and  Finn.  These  are  the  three  great  leaders 
mentioned  in  the  stories.  Cool  made  them  a  mighty 
band;  Gaul  held  them  together  after  the  death  of 
Cool;   Finn  was  the  last  and  greatest  leader. 


18  LEGENDARY  HEROES 


THE   BIRTH    OF   FINN 

The  first  great  chief  of  the  Fenians  was  Cool.  He 
was  a  mighty  warrior  and  splendid  hero.  He  it  was 
who  organized  these  men  into  an  army  of  strength, 
which  he  governed  wisely  but  sternly. 

Over  Cool  was  Conn,  the  High  King,  known  as 
Conn  the  Hundred  Fighter,  because  he  had  been  vic- 
torious in  a  hundred  battles.  It  was  Conn  whom 
Cool  and  his  men  had  to  swear  to  honor  and  defend. 
Conn's  principal  city,  the  one  in  which  he  held  his 
court,  was  known  as  Tara.  These  facts  it  is  neces- 
sary to  know  before  we  can  understand  the  story 
which  follows. 

In  one  part  of  the  kingdom,  in  the  castle  of  Alma, 
dwelt  an  old  chief  and  his  beautiful  daughter,  Murna. 
The  girl  was  kept  within  the  castle  under  heavy  guard 
and  no  man  was  allowed  to  see  or  speak  to  her.  There 
was  a  reason  for  this  harsh  treatment.  When  she 
was  born  a  prophet  told  her  father  that  her  son  would 
take  his  land  and  title  from  him.  As  the  old  chief 
was  very  fond  of  his  castle  he  thought  he  would 
make  a  grandson  impossible  by  never  allowing  his 
daughter  to  marry. 

One  day  Cool  rode  by  the  castle  and  saw  Murna 


THE  BIRTH  OF  FINN  19 

at  the  upper  window.  He  was  greatly  struck  by 
her  beauty. 

"Who  is  the  maiden?"  he  asked  one  of  his  advisers. 

'Tt  will  do  you  little  good  to  know,"  replied  the  man. 
"Her  father  has  forbidden  any  man  to  wed  her." 

"The  men  of  this  district  must  have  little  spirit  to 
allow  such  a  prize  to  go  unwon,"  remarked  Cool. 

"You  would  not  think  so  if  you  saw  the  number 
of  guards  alw^ays  in  place  to  make  such  a  thing  im- 
possible," was  the  reply. 

Cool  said  no  more.  That  evening  he  went  back 
to  the  castle,  overpowered  the  guards  and  climbed 
to  the  window  at  which  he  had  seen  the  girl.  When 
she  saw  this  mighty  hero  at  her  window,  she  let  him 
in  and  they  talked  together.  Cool  was  already  in 
love  with  her  from  having  seen  her  beautiful  face, 
but  after  he  had  talked  with  her  and  found  her  as 
gentle  and  sweet  as  she  was  beautiful,  he  vowed  that 
he  would  have  no  one  but  her  for  a  wife.  Any  girl 
of  Ireland  would  have  been  proud  to  be  wooed  by 
such  a  splendid  hero.  The  maiden  was  sure  that  she 
could  never  love  any  one  else,  so  Cool  took  her  away. 
They  were  married  that  very  night. 

You  can  imagine  how  the  old  chief  felt  about  this 
theft  of  his  daughter  and  her  marriage.  He  saw 
now  that  the  prophecy  might  come  true.  He  hast- 
ened to  the  High  King  and  told  his  story. 

This  put  Conn  in  a  puzzling  position.     As  a  man 


20  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

he  sympathized  with  Cool,  but  as  a  King  he  saw  that 
the  chief  was  justified  in  complaining.  He  ordered 
Cool  to  appear  before  him. 

"Do  you  deny  that  you  stole  the  chief's  daughter 
for  your  wife?"  he  asked. 

"I  do  not/'  said  Cool  stoutly. 

"Do  you  think  that  the  proper  conduct  for  a  Fen- 
ian?" asked  the  King. 

"Is  it  not  the  rule  of  the  Fenians  to  help  the  weak 
who  are  oppressed?"  asked  Cool  in  answer. 

"This  maiden  was  not  oppressed,"  said  the  old 
chief.  "She  was  my  daughter  and  under  my  pro- 
tection." 

"Any  maiden  is  oppressed  who  is  not  allowed  to 
love  and  be  loved  by  the  man  of  her  choice,"  said 
Cool.  "If  you  had  permitted  anyone  to  seek  her  in 
marriage  she  would  not  have  been  taken  from  you 
by  force." 

King  Conn  hated  to  decide.  He  did  not  wish  to 
offend  the  leader  of  his  army,  nor  could  he  afford 
to  make  an  enemy  of  the  old  chief  and  lose  his  fealty. 
He  finally  decided  that  he  could  replace  his  leader 
more  easily,  so  he  ruled  that  Cool  must  give  back 
the  maiden. 

Now  Cool  had  been  greatly  in  love  with  Murna 
when  he  took  her  from  the  castle,  but  having  her 
for  his  wife  had  made  her  more  dear  to  him.  He 
decided  that  life  would  not  be  worth  living  without 
her.     He  defied  Conn  to  take  her  from  him. 


The  hermit  killed  Cool  and  took  his  head  to  Gaul 


From  Birth  of  Finn 


THE  BIRTH  OF  FINN  21 

With  his  beautiful  bride  and  those  Fenians  who 
were  more  loyal  to  him  than  to  the  High  King,  Cool 
fled  to  the  forest.  There  he  defended  himself  and 
for  some  time  kept  at  bay  the  forces  of  Conn. 

After  Cool  fled  the  leadership  of  the  Fenians  was 
given  to  Gaul  of  Morna,  another  brave  warrior.  In 
the  course  of  the  battle  Cool  and  the  new  leader  met 
in  single  combat.  All  day  long  they  fought  fiercely 
and  bravely;  Gaul  to  show  himself  brave  enough  to 
lead  the  army  and  Cool  for  his  wife  and  his  happi- 
ness. In  the  evening  Cool  weakened  and  he  received 
a  wound  which  made  it  impossible  to  fight  on.  Gaul 
thought  too  much  of  his  old  leader  to  kill  him  while 
he  lay  wounded,  so  he  withdrew. 

It  so  happened  that  another  witnessed  this  battle. 
It  was  an  old  hermit  who  lived  by  himself  in  the 
forest.  This  man  was  reputed  to  have  great  know- 
ledge. It  proved  that  he  had  also  a  great  desire  to 
make  himself  popular  with  the  High  King.  He  did 
what  Gaul  would  not  do — he  killed  the  wounded  Cool 
and  took  his  head  to  Gaul.  • 

In  place  of  receiving  the  praise  he  wanted,  he  found 
Gaul  greatly  displeased.  The  hermit  was  driven  out 
of  the  camp  as  a  coward,  with  sticks  and  stones 
hurled  after  him  as  a  reward. 

With  the  defeat  of  their  leader  the  rebel  Fenians 
surrendered,  and  the  young  widow  was  left  without 
protection.     She  must  either  go  back  to  her  father 


22  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

or  hide  in  the  forest.  The  latter  course  was  the  one 
she  chose. 

Poor  girl,  she  was  not  used  to  such  treatment. 
She  became  very  weak  and  ill.  At  last  she  gave  up 
and  approached  an  old  hut  in  the  forest.  Here  she 
was  taken  in  by  an  old  woman,  who  fed  her  and 
nursed  her. 

It  was  in  this  hut  that  the  baby,  who  was  to  be- 
come such  a  great  hero,  was  born.  Murna  stayed  in 
the  hut  until  the  baby  could  be  left,  fearful  that  each 
day  would  bring  the  searchers  sent  out  by  her  father, 
who  would  kill  her  child.  She  finally  decided  that 
the  baby  would  be  safer  if  she  went  back  to  the  cas- 
tle of  Alma.  She  pledged  the  old  woman  to  raise  the 
child  but  to  tell  no  one  who  he  was.  The  woman 
promised  and  Murna  went  back  to  her  father. 


FINN'S  BOYHOOD  23 


FINN'S    BOYHOOD 

Many  stories  are  told  of  the  boyhood  of  this  hero. 
He  grew  tall  and  straight  with  long  fair  hair  and 
bright  blue  eyes.  Because  of  his  complexion  he  was 
called  Finn,  which  means  'The  Fair". 

Living  among  the  wild  things  of  the  forest  he  grew 
like  them.  No  deer  could  run  away  from  him,  he 
could  run  at  full  speed  without  cracking  a  dry  branch, 
he  could  track  any  animal  by  the  prints  on  the  forest 
floor,  while  his  eyes  were  as  keen  as  those  of  an  eagle. 

An  early  adventure  of  the  boy  reminds  one  of  the 
story  told  of  Putnam,  our  hero  of  Revolutionary  days. 
I  refer  to  the  story  of  the  killing  of  the  wolf.  In  the 
case  of  Finn  it  was  a  wildcat.  While  he  was  still  a 
very  young  child  his  friends  of  the  forest  were  greatly 
annoyed  by  the  visits  of  a  vicious  wildcat.  This  ani- 
mal made  steady  attacks  on  the  flocks  and  herds  of 
the  people  of  the  forest. 

The  men  hunted  for  the  animal  without  result.  No 
one  thought  of  Finn  as  a  hunter  and  he  told  no  one 
of  his  intention.  With  his  knowledge  of  tracking  he 
found  the  trail  of  the  wildcat  and  followed  it  to  its 
lair  in  a  deep  cave.  Without  hesitation  he  went  right 
in  until  he  found  the  animal. 


24  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

There  was  no  space  in  the  cave  for  the  use  of  a 
sword,  so  Finn  did  not  draw  it.  Instead  he  attacked 
the  animal  with  his  bare  hands.  He  caught  it  by  the 
throat  and  held  it  until  it  ceased  its  struggles.  Then 
he  carried  the  dead  beast  back  and  showed  it  to  the 
surprised  residents  of  the  forest.  Its  skin  afterwards 
became  part  of  his  costume. 

When  he  was  old  enough  for  books,  the  old  woman 
gave  him  into  the  charge  of  the  hermit  of  the  forest. 
This  man  taught  him  the  "Twelve  Books  of  Poetry", 
which  seems  to  be  about  all  the  people  of  those  days 
learned  from  books.  Finn  was  a  bright  pupil  and 
very  early  became  skilful  enough  to  write  poetry 
himself. 

I  am  afraid  that  the  hermit  took  little  interest  in 
the  teaching  of  his  pupil.  You  see,  the  man  was 
deeply  interested  in  gaining  wisdom  for  himself.  He 
had  placed  his  hut  on  the  bank  of  a  little  stream, 
not,  as  you  suppose,  so  that  he  would  have  water 
for  cooking,  but  because  this  was  the  stream  men- 
tioned in  the  prophecy  as  the  one  up  which  the  Sal- 
mon of  Knowledge  would  come. 

In  the  folk  stories  of  many  races  we  find  the  sal- 
mon considered  as  the  wisest  of  fishes.  In  Ireland, 
however,  there  was  the  story  of  this  particular 
salmon  which  would  some  day  swim  up  the  stream. 
The  man  who  ate  the  flesh  of  this  fish  would  be  ever 
afterwards  the  wisest  man  in  the  country. 


FINN^S  BOYHOOD  25 

The  prophecy  said  that  the  fish  would  come  when 
the  man  who  was  to  eat  him  arrived.  As  no  one 
knew  who  this  was  to  be,  the  hermit  had  hopes  that 
the  fish  would  come  to  him. 

Finn  helped  to  watch  for  this  wonderful  fish.  This 
was  a  task  he  loved,  and  it  was  one  to  which  he  was 
well  suited  on  account  of  his  keen  eyes.  One  after- 
noon, while  he  lay  on  the  bank,  a  big,  beautiful  sal- 
mon swam  slowly  toward  him.  The  sunlight  glis- 
tened on  his  scales  that  shone  like  silver. 

The  big  fish  swam  right  in  front  of  him,  turning 
back  and  forth  in  the  sunlight  and  showing  very 
plainly  that  it  did  not  intend  swimming  away.  At 
last  Finn  remembered  that  it  was  a  fish  he  was  wait- 
ing for,  so  he  reached  into  the  water  for  it.  The 
salmon  offered  no  fight,  but  allowed  the  boy  to  lift 
him  out  upon  the  bank. 

Of  course  the  hermit  was  delighted  to  see  the  fish. 
He  knew  at  once  that  it  was  the  Salmon  of  Know- 
ledge. He  felt  that  he  was  already  the  wisest  man 
in  the  country.  But  even  with  knowledge  so  close 
to  him  he  still  had  a  desire  to  have  some  one  else 
do  the  work.  He  set  his  pupil  at  the  task  of  cook- 
ing the  fish,  cautioning  him  against  eating  a  bite 
of  it.     Then  he  went  off  to  take  a  nap. 

Finn  sat  before  the  fire  turning  the  fish  slowly. 
He,  too,  had  heard  of  the  Salmon  of  Knowledge, 
but  he  never  guesed  that  this  was  the  one.     Neither 


26  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

did  he  have  any  idea  that  he  was  the  person  of  the 
prophecy.  He  did  not  even  know  who  he  was,  nor 
anything  about  his  father  or  mother.  As  he  turned 
the  smoking  fish  he  got  his  thumb  again  the  meat 
and  burnt  it  severely.  To  ease  the  pain  he  put  it 
in  his  mouth  and  sucked  the  sore  thumb. 

That  was  all  that  was  necessary  to  give  him  know- 
ledge. He  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  eyes  blazing  with 
anger.  Buckling  on  his  sword  he  went  in  and  roused 
the  hermit  from  his  sleep.  What  the  man  saw  in 
his  pupil's  eyes  freightened  him. 

"Did  you  eat  that  salmon?"  demanded  the  hermit. 

'T  but  burnt  my  finger  on  it  and  sucked  the  place," 
said  Finn.  "That  was  enough.  I  know  now  that 
I  am  the  son  of  Cool  and  that  you  killed  him  while 
he  lay  wounded.  Get  up  and  defend  yourself,  for  I 
am  about  to  avenge  my  father!" 

Finn  was  but  a  boy,  but  already  the  strength 
of  a  champion  was  coming  to  him.  The  hermit 
fought  for  his  life,  but  he  was  no  match  for  the 
son  of  the  man  he  had  treacherously  killed.  He 
quickly  paid  for  his  foul  deed,  and  Finn  ate  the  Sal- 
mon of  Knowledge,  as  it  was  intended  he  should. 

From  that  time  on  he  had  more  wisdom  than  the 
wisest  man  in  Ireland.  Not  only  that,  but  when  in 
times  of  stress  he  desired  to  know  the  outcome  of 
a  battle  or  an  adventure,  by  biting  the  thumb  which 
had  been  burned  he  could  tell  the  result.     In  other 


FINN'S  BOYHOOD  27 

stories  you  will  see  how  this  knowledge  aided  him. 
Of  course,  you  will  wonder  why  he  ever  made  mis- 
takes with  such  a  gift.  I  am  unable  to  tell  you  that. 
Many  of  the  adventures  we  read  of  a  wise  man  would 
never  have  attempted.  Probably  he  only  used  this 
thumb  in  times  of  great  importance  for  fear  that  if 
he  used  it  for  everything  the  great  gift  would  leave 
him. 


28  LEGENDARY  HEROES 


FINN  CLAIMS   HIS   INHERITANCE 

A  tremendous  gathering  of  the  men  of  Erin  had 
come  together  at  the  city  of  Tara,  the  central  city 
of  the  realm.  The  Fenians  were  camped  in  a  circle 
around  the  outskirts.  At  night  the  lights  of  their 
campfires  made  a  circle  of  fire  as  though  to  protect 
it  from  danger. 

Conn,  the  High  King,  was  holding  court  in  the 
great  banquet  hall  where  a  thousand  of  the  chiefs 
and  champions  were  gathered  with  him.  This  hall 
was  seven  hundred  sixty  feet  long,  ninety  feet  wide 
and  built  of  hewn  logs.  Down  each  side  ran  a  dou- 
ble row  of  benches  with  hewn  tables  in  front  of  them. 
In  each  row  were  two  hundred  fifty  of  the  finest 
manhood  of  Erin.  Their  weapons  and  shields  rested 
against  the  walls  behind  them  while  they  ate.  Down 
the  center  was  a  row  of  fires  over  which,  on  spits, 
great  roasts  of  meat  were  cooking.  An  army  of 
cooks  were  constantly  busy,  tending  the  fires,  turn- 
ing the  spits  and  carrying  food  to  the  tables. 

At  the  end  of  the  hall  on  a  raised  platform  sat 
Conn,  his  son  Arthur,  and  Gaul  of  Morna,  leader 
of  the  Fenians.     They  were  in  earnest  consultation. 

One  would  have  thought  that  such  a  gathering  of 


FINN  CLAIMS  HIS  INHERITANCE      29 

heroes  at  a  feast  would  have  been  a  jolly  one.  It 
was  not  so.  A  deep  silence  hung  over  all.  Men  ate 
in  silence  with  gloomy  faces  and  downcast  eyes,  sad 
because  they  felt  that  it  would  be  their  last  gather- 
ing in  that  splendid  hall. 

Suddenly  a  voice  rang  out  through  the  silence. 
Clear  and  firm  it  was,  so  that  every  word  was  heard 
the  length  of  the  hall. 

"Conn,  High  King  of  Erin,  a  lonely  and  disin- 
herited youth,  without  money  and  without  friends, 
claims  thy  hospitality!" 

The  men  of  Erin  looked  at  the  newcomer  in  sur- 
prise. They  saw  a  youth  about  ten  years  of  age, 
clad  in  the  skins  of  the  forest  animals.  Hanging 
at  his  belt  in  front  was  a  great  sword,  while  his  skin 
covered  shield  hung  over  his  shoulders  at  the  back. 
His  fair  hair  fell  to  his  shoulders,  while  his  blue  eyes 
caught  the  glint  of  light  from  the  spears  along  the 
wall  and  shot  it  back  like  flashes  of  sunlight.  It 
was  Finn,  son  of  Cool,  appearing  for  the  first  time 
before  the  Fenians. 

The  High  King  had  matters  of  too  much  weight 
on  his  mind  to  take  much  heed  of  the  boy  wlio 
claimed  what  no  king  at  that  time  would  refuse — 
a  place  at  the  table  and  a  bed.  He  motioned  to  Finn 
to  take  his  place  with  the  others  and  went  on  with 
his  discussion. 

Finn  ate  with  the  other  men  of  Erin.     He  said 


30  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

no  word  until  he  had  finished  his  meal.  Then  he 
arose  and  once  more  addressed  the  High  King. 

"I  know  it  is  not  customary  for  a  stranger  to  note 
that  there  is  anything  wrong  in  the  house  of  his 
host,  but  I  am  impressed  by  your  look  of  sadness 
and  the  silence  of  the  men  of  Erin.  Is  aught  amiss 
that  may  be  told  to  a  stranger?" 

"Our  troubles  are  not  secret,  though  it  shames 
me  to  tell  them,"  answered  the  High  King.  "To- 
night is  the  time  set  for  the  destruction  of  Tara, 
and  I  am  powerless  to  save  it.  Each  year  for  nine 
years,  at  the  midnight  hour  of  this  night,  the  giant 
Midna  appears  and  throws  balls  of  fire  at  the  city 
until  it  is  destroyed.  Each  year  I  have  rebuilt  it, 
only  to  know  that  my  work  is  to  last  but  for  a  year. 
The  women  and  children  have  been  sent  away.  Only 
the  Fenians  remain  to  witness  my  shame.  Do  you 
wonder,  O  Youth,  that  we  are  sick  at  heart?" 

"And  is  there  no  brave  champion  or  youth  anx- 
ious to  prove  his  bravery  who  can  go  out  and  meet 
this  giant?"  asked  Finn. 

"Alas,  no,"  sighed  the  High  King.  "It  is  not  that 
the  men  of  Erin  are  lacking  in  bravery.  Many  have 
tried  without  result.  When  Midna  is  ready  to  de- 
stroy, he  plays  fairy  music  upon  his  pipes,  and  not 
a  man  can  stay  awake.  When  sleep  leaves  our  eyes 
he  is  gone,  and  the  city  is  a  heap  of  ashes.  We  watch 
again  tonight,  but  we  have  no  hopes  of  success." 


FINN  CLAIMS  HIS  INHERITANCE      31 

Of  course  Finn,  having  eaten  the  Salmon  of  Know- 
ledge, knew  this  as  well  as  anybody.  His  purpose 
in  asking  for  information  was  to  obtain  a  promise 
from  Conn. 

"What  shall  be  the  reward  of  him  who  slays  the 
giant  and  saves  the  city?"  asked  Finn. 

"If  such  a  feat  be  posible,  no  reward  that  he  shall 
ask  will  be  refused,"  answered  the  High  King. 

"Even  to  the  return  of  my  inheritance?"  asked 
Finn. 

"Yes,  fair  youth,  answered  Conn.  "Even  if  your 
inheritance  be  my  crown,  and  my  son  and  I  must 
become  your  vassals,  it  shall  be  returned  to  you." 

"Is  that  your  promise,  O  King,  made  before  all 
these  men  of  Erin?"  insisted  Finn. 

"It  is,"  declared  the  king,  stepping  down  and  put- 
ting his  hand  in  that  of  the  boy.  "My  hand  is  my 
pledge  that  I  will  do  as  I  promise." 

"Then  I  shall  attempt  the  trial,"  said  Finn. 

He  waved  back  all  offers  of  spears  and  shields 
from  the  men  of  Erin  and  went  out  by  himself  into 
the  darkness.  He  sought  out  a  place  in  a  dark  grove 
and  waited  quietly.  Soon  a  man  appeared,  bearing 
a  large  cloak  and  a  heavy  spear.  The  spear  handle 
was  studded  with  nails  of  gold,  but  the  point  was 
incased  in  a  leather  covering.  The  man  gave  Finn 
directions  for  the  use  of  the  articles  and  disappeared. 

Soon  the  lights  in  the  banquet  hall  went  out,  as 


32  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

the  champions  went  to  their  posts  in  the  circle  de- 
fending the  city.  No  man  spoke  to  his  neighbor. 
That  would  have  been  useless  since  every  man  had 
his  ears  filled  with  wax  in  the  hopes  that  he  might 
shut  out  the  sound  of  the  strange,  sweet  music  that 
put  all  to  sleep. 

Finn  climbed  a  hill  overlooking  the  city.  His 
knowledge  told  him  that  here  it  was  the  giant  would 
come.  Soon  he  heard  in  the  distance  the  sound  of 
pipes.  The  music  lulled  l^is  senses,  his  eyelids  droop- 
ed, his  head  began  to  nod.  Not  till  then  did  he  take 
the  leather  covering  from  the  spear  head.  It  glowed 
like  fire  and  little  tongues  of  light  shot  out  in  all 
directions.  From  the  spear  came  the  sound  of  many 
voices  crying  out  together.  Finn  pressed  the  point  to 
his  forehead.  The  pain  of  the  burning  was  stronger 
than  the  spell  of  the  music. 

Soon  the  lights  of  the  circle  began  to  reel  and  go 
out  as  one  after  another  of  the  Fenians  came  under 
the  spell  of  the  music.  At  last  only  the  lights  of  the 
stronger  chiefs  were  burning. 

The  music  then  changed  to  the  sweetness  of  strings. 
Once  again  Finn  had  to  press  the  spear  head  to  his 
forehead.  The  lights  went  out  one  by  one  until  there 
was  but  one  left,  that  of  Conn,  and  it  was  reeling 
like  that  of  a  drunken  man.  Then  it,  too,  went  out. 
Tara  was  unprotected  by  her  army. 

And  now  Finn  heard  the  sound  of  heavy   feet. 


FINN  CLAIMS  HIS  INHERITANCE      33 

There  was  a  splashing  of  water  as  of  one  crossing 
a  river.  Finn  looked  in  the  direction  of  the  sound 
and  beheld  a  mighty  mountain  of  man  ascending  the 
hill  on  which  he  stood.     It  was  the  giant  Midna. 

Midna  looked  over  the  city  lying  at  his  mercy  and 
laughed  aloud.  He  blew  from  his  mouth  a  red  fire 
ball  which  was  to  begin  the  destruction  of  the  city. 
Finn  reached  out  his  cloak  and  caught  the  ball  in  its 
folds,  where  it  died  out  harmlessly.  The  amazed 
giant  shot  another  and  another  at  the  city,  but  not 
one  passed  the  folds  of  Finn's  cloak. 

At  first,  I  suppose,  the  giant  thought  that  he  was 
shooting  a  poor  grade  of  fire  balls  that  evening. 
When,  however,  he  looked  to  the  place  where  they 
disappeared  and  saw  Finn  catching  them  in  his  cloak, 
he  let  out  a  roar  of  fear  and  ran  back  toward  his 
home  as  quickly  as  he  could.  Probably  he  had  heard 
some  prophecy  that  told  him  of  the  coming  of  this 
boy,  dressed  in  skins ;  maybe  he  saw  that  Finn's  pow- 
ers were  greater  than  his;  anyway  he  did  not  pause 
for  battle,  but  ran  with  all  the  speed  he  possessed. 

Finn  gave  chase.  He  was,  you  remember,  very 
fleet  of  foot,  but  the  giant's  legs  were  many  times 
longer  and  the  distance  grew  between  them.  The 
spear  flamed  brightly  and  seemed  struggling  to 
get  free. 

"Go  then,  if  you  will,"  cried  Finn,  as  he  hurled 
it  after  the  fast  disappearing  giant. 


34  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

Like  a  meteor  in  the  night  sky  the  spear  sped 
through  the  darkness  and  disappeared.  Finn  ran 
on  after  it.  He  found  the  giant  dead  at  the  door 
of  his  cave  in  the  hillside.  The  spear  had  passed 
through  his  body  and  disappeared. 

With  his  sword  Finn  took  the  enchanter's  head  as 
proof  that  he  had  won  the  battle.  When  he  passed 
the  place  where  he  had  dropped  the  cloak  he  found 
nothing.  Like  the  spear,  it  disappeared  when  its 
work  was  done.  Finn  placed  the  head  of  the  giant 
on  a  pole  in  front  of  the  banquet  hall  so  that  all 
might  see  it  in  the  morning. 

And  then,  after  it  was  all  over,  he  became  very 
faint  and  sick.  The  use  of  the  weapons  of  magic 
had  taken  all  the  strength  out  of  his  body.  He  reeled 
like  a  drunken  man  toward  the  spring  which  fur- 
nished water  for  the  banquet  hall.  Finn  had  an- 
other power  of  which  I  must  tell  you.  By  bringing 
water  in  his  cupped  hands  to  one  sick  or  wounded 
he  could  restore  him  to  health.  He  used  this  power 
now  and  drank  from  his  own  hands.  At  once  his 
sickness  passed.     Then  he  lay  down  and  slept. 

In  the  morning  he  woke  early  and  gave  a  mightj 
shout. 

Even  though  their  ears  were  filled  with  wax  the 
Fenians  could  not  fail  to  hear  his  voice.  They  strug- 
gled from  their  sleep  and  rubbed  their  eyes  in  aston- 
ishment to  see,  not  a  heap  of  smoking  ruins,  but 
Tara,  resplendent  in  the  morning  sun. 


FINN  CLAIMS  HIS  INHERITANCE      35 

They  came  with  all  speed,  Conn  and  Gaul  in  the 
lead,  to  the  spot  where  Finn  stood  pointing  at  the 
head  of  their  late  enemy. 

"Who  are  you,  brave  youth?"  asked  Conn.  "You 
are  no  common  man  since  you  have  done  what  no 
one  else  could  do.'' 

Then  Finn  drew  himself  up  and  in  a  loud  voice 
cried : 

"I  claim  my  inheritance — the  castle  of  Alma  and 
the  leadership  of  the  Fenians.  I  am  Finn,  son  of 
Cool,  and  these  things  belong  to  me  in  my  right." 

"What  I  have  promised  I  will  fulfill,"  declared 
Conn.  "I  give  you  your  inheritance  the  more  will- 
ingly because  your  father  was  my  friend  and  loyal 
subject  until  I  decided  unfairly  against  him." 

Then  Gaul  of  Morna  gave  up  the  leadership  of 
the  Fenians  and  put  his  hand  in  that  of  Finn  to 
show  that  he  was  willing  to  be  his  friend  and  fol- 
lower. The  other  leaders  followed  his  example.  It 
must  have  gone  hard  with  some  of  these  mighty  chiefs 
to  swear  fealty  to  a  ten  year  old  boy.  The  only  thing 
that  made  such  a  thing  possible  was  that  Finn  had 
done  something  no  other  of  them  could  do  and  had 
entered  the  class  of  a  champion  by  killing  the  giant. 

Thus  Finn  McCool  became  the  leader  of  the  Fen- 
ians. 


36  LEGENDARY  HEROES 


FINN  AND  THE  SCOTTISH  GIANT 

This  story  is  one  told  by  the  Irish  peasants  in  ex- 
plaining a  bridge  of  rock  off  the  northern  coast  of 
their  country.  It  is  a  typical  Finn  story,  showing 
that  leader's  strength  and  his  wisdom.  The  giant 
who  had  a  secret  of  strength  is  found  in  the  folk 
lore  of  many  nations.  No  doubt  you  remember  the 
Bible  hero,  Samson,  who  lost  his  strength  with  the 
cutting  of  his  long  hair.  You  may  compare  him  with 
the  Scottish  giant. 

When  Finn  was  not  training  his  men  or  travel- 
ing in  search  of  adventure,  he  used  to  visit  the  old 
woman  who  had  raised  him.  The  stories  do  not 
mention  his  ever  having  seen  his  real  mother.  The 
foster-mother  takes  her  place.  Finn  built  a  cottage 
for  her  in  the  northern  part  of  the  country  and  saw 
to  it  that  she  never  needed  anything. 

One  day,  while  visiting  the  woman,  he  stood  on 
the  rocky  coast  looking  out  over  the  ocean.  Over 
on  the  coast  of  Scotland  he  saw  a  giant  of  tremend- 
ous proportions.  This  fellow  seemed  to  be  driving 
pillars  into  the  ocean  and  was  working  very  hard. 
He  saw  Finn  in  the  distance  and  called  out: 


FINN  AND  THE  SCOTTISH  GIANT      37 

"You  might  as  well  settle  up  your  business,  be- 
cause when  I  get  through  with  you  there  will  not 
be  much  of  you  left  to  talk  about!" 

The  giant's  voice  was  a  mighty  roar  which  car- 
ried nicely  over  the  miles  separating  them.  Now 
Finn  had  heard  of  this  giant  and  the  threat  did  not 
frighten  him  in  the  least.  He  called  back  in  a  voice 
nearly  as  strong  as  the  giant's  own: 

''Come  over  any  time  you  like.  You'll  need  more 
than  a  bridge  to  take  you  back  after  I  get  through 
with  you." 

The  giant  said  no  more,  so  Finn  went  back  to  the 
cottage.  He  knew  that  his  men  had  boasted  to  the 
Scottish  people  about  the  great  strength  of  their 
leader.  He  also  knew  that  the  Scotch  giant  was 
anxious  to  settle  the  question  as  to  which  was  the 
better  man.  Now,  Finn  was  afraid  of  no  man.  Hav- 
ing bested  every  champion  in  Ireland  he  was  always 
anxious  to  try  his  strength  against  any  new  hero 
who  appeared. 

Each  morning  he  went  out  and  watched  the  giant 
building  the  bridge  across  the  channel.  When  the 
man  began  to  get  nearer,  Finn  got  an  idea  of  his 
size.  He  was  at  least  four  tmies  the  size  of  the  Irish 
hero  and  the  way  he  handled  the  great  stone  pillars 
showed  that  his  strength  was  tremendous.  Finn  saw 
that  if  the  giant  got  hold  of  him  as  he  did  a  rock 
pillar,  he  would  have  little  chance  of  escaping  alive, 


38  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

As  I  have  told  you,  Finn  was  no  coward.  You 
also  know  that  he  was  no  fool.  He  was  noted  for 
wisdom  as  well  as  strength.  He  saw  that  a  combat 
at  close  quarters  with  such  a  mountain  of  muscle 
would  be  foolish.  He  began  to  devise  plans  for  get- 
ting the  better  of  the  giant  when  the  bridge  should 
be  finished. 

When  he  saw  that  the  work  would  last  but  a  few 
days  more  he  no  longer  went  to  the  shore  but  kept 
at  home  out  of  sight.  He  enlisted  the  aid  of  his 
foster-mother  in  the  preparations  for  the  giant's  ar- 
rival. He  brought  in  a  large  stone  as  big  as  a  water 
bucket  and  placed  it  on  a  shelf  in  the  cottage.  Then 
he  had  the  woman  make,  from  the  whey  of  sour  milk, 
a  ball  large  enough  to  fill  his  two  hands.  This  he 
placed  near  the  rock. 

Next  he  had  the  woman  bake  several  cakes  of 
meal.  A  few  were  just  the  ordinary  ones  such  as 
they  ate  regularly,  but  in  the  middle  of  the  others 
he  had  her  put  plates  of  solid  iron.  These  cakes 
were  placed  in  the  cupboard  close  at  hand.  When 
you  see  how  these  different  things  were  used  you 
will  see  that  Finn  had  a  perfect  plan  worked  out. 

Then  Finn  told  his  foster-mother  all  the  things 
she  must  do  and  in  what  order  each  was  to  come. 

"I  fear  that  he  will  be  too  much  for  you,"  said 
the  woman. 

"He  would  be  as  he  is,''  declared  Finn.     "By  bit- 


FINN  AND  THE  SCOTTISH  GIANT      39 

ing  my  thumb  I  learn  that  the  secret  of  his  strength 
is  in  one  of  his  fingers — which  one  I  cannot  tell.  It 
shall  be  your  task  to  find  out  the  finger." 

At  last  the  day  came  on  which  the  bridge  was 
completed.  A  messenger  was  sent  out  to  give  the 
giant  directions  for  reaching  the  cottage,  while  Finn 
himself,  dressed  as  a  baby,  got  into  the  big  cradle 
he  had  built  for  the  purpose. 

Soon  the  doorway  darkened.  The  great  giant 
stood  there  looking  in.  He  was  an  ugly  and  terri- 
ble looking  fellow  with  two  great  teeth  sticking  out 
of  his  jaw  like  those  of  a  walrus.  The  doorway  was 
a  large  one,  but  the  giant  filled  it,  shutting  out  the 
light  behind  him. 

'T  am  looking  for  the  fellow  who  calls  himself 
Finn  MacCool,''  roared  the  giant  in  a  voice  that 
shook  the  walls  of  the  house. 

Finn's  foster-mother  sat  calmly  rocking  the  cradle 
and  working  on  some  clothes  she  was  mending.  To 
look  at  her  one  would  have  thought  that  the  visit 
of  a  giant  was  an  everyday  occurrence. 

"And  who  might  you  be?''  she  asked. 

"That's  no  matter,"  growled  the  giant.  "I've  come 
from  Scotland  to  see  him  and  I'm  in  a  hurry." 

"Oh,  you  must  be  that  foolish  fellow  who  thinks 
he  wants  to  have  a  trial  with  Finn,"  suggested  the 
woman. 

"Foolish !"  roared  the  giant.     "Show  me  where  he 


40  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

is  and  you  will  soon  find  out  which  one  is  the  fool- 
ish one!" 

"Come  right  in,"  said  the  woman.  "I  am  very 
sorry,  but  Finn  is  away  and  will  not  be  back  until 
tomorrow.  He  waited  for  you  as  long  as  he  could. 
You  see,  you  were  so  long  in  coming  he  decided  that 
you  had  become  frightened  and  had  turned  back,  so 
he  went  off  to  attend  to  some  business.  Just  as  he 
left  he  said  to  me,  'If  that  fellow  from  Scotland  gets 
here  while  I  am  gone,  treat  him  well  and  get  him  to 
stay.  I  would  not  miss  knocking  a  trial  out  of  him 
at  any  cost.'  " 

"Well,  he  won't  miss  me,"  answered  the  giant. 
"I'll  wait." 

"Come  right  in  then,"  said  the  woman.  "I  will 
give  you  a  bite  to  eat." 

The  giant  thrust  himself  through  the  doorway  into 
the  room.  Inside,  where  he  could  straighten  himself 
up,  he  looked  more  terrible  than  before.  As  there 
was  no  seat  in  the  cottage  big  enough  for  him  he 
leaned  against  the  wall,  which  bulged  out  with  his 
weight.     The  woman  busied  herself  before  the  fire. 

"Who  is  that?"  asked  the  giant,  pointing  to  Finn 
in  the  cradle. 

"^That's  Finn's  little  baby,"  answered  the  woman. 
"I  wish  you  would  be  more  quiet  while  you  are  in 
here.  The  baby  is  just  beginning  to  cut  his  teeth, 
and  he  is  very  cross  if  he  awakens  suddenly." 


k 


FINN  AND  THE  SCOTTISH  GIANT      41 

The  giant  really  tried  to  soften  his  voice,  but  the 
result  was  very  funny.  When  he  was  speaking  very 
softly,  his  voice  was  like  that  of  a  fog  horn  in  a 
coast  light  house. 

''Dear  me,"  sighed  the  woman  after  a  while.  "This 
fire  draws  so  poorly!  The  wind  is  in  the  wrong 
direction.  If  Finn  were  here  he  would  turn  the  house 
around  so  that  the  fire  would  do  better." 

"What  Finn  can  do  will  be  only  a  small  task  for 
me,"  said  the  giant. 

He  went  outside,  took  the  house  by  one  corner  and 
turned  it  so  that  it  faced  in  a  different  direction. 
You  can  believe  that  the  woman  was  thoroughly 
frightened  to  see  this  exhibition  of  strength.  She 
wondered  what  chance  Finn  would  have  against  such 
a  man.  Still  she  believed  in  his  wisdom,  so  she  con- 
tinued to  carry  out  her  instructions.  When  the  giant 
came  back  she  seemed  very  calm. 

"Well,  how  is  that?"  asked  the  giant  when  he 
came  in  again. 

"The  fire  draws  better,"  she  admitted,  "but  you 
did  it  very  clumsily.  I  thought  you  were  going  to 
shake  the  house  to  pieces.  Finn  lifts  it  around  so 
easily  that  he  jars  not  a  thing  on  the  shelves.  But 
of  course  you  are  not  nearly  so  strong  as  Finn." 

The  giant  was  so  crestfallen  that  he  had  nothing 
to  say  for  some  time. 

"Oh,  dear,"  cried  the  woman  a  little  later.     "I  am 


42  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

all  out  of  water.  Finn  promised  to  split  open  the 
rock  of  the  spring  before  he  left,  but  he  forgot  all 
about  it.     I  wonder  if  you  could  do  it." 

"Of  course  I  can,"  said  the  giant.  "Show  me 
the  rocks." 

The  woman  took  up  a  bucket  and  led  him  to  a 
place  where  two  rocky  hills  sent  up  their  peaks  very 
close  together. 

"That  is  the  place,"  she  said.  "Finn  intended 
pulling  them  apart  when  he  had  time  so  that  we 
could  have  water  nearby." 

The  giant  put  a  foot  against  one  peak  and  took 
the  other  in  his  hands.  With  a  mighty  heave  he 
separated  the  two  hills  and  let  the  water  stream  out 
between  them.  The  woman  filled  her  bucket  and 
went  back  to  the  house,  the  giant  following  her. 

"How  did  that  suit  you?"  he  asked. 

"You  did  that  very  well,"  said  the  woman.  "But 
of  course  that  is  hardly  a  man's  job." 

The  giant  seemed  to  feel  keenly  the  fact  that  his 
strength  made  no  impression  on  the  woman.  He 
looked  around  the  room  to  see  if  he  could  find  some- 
thing else  to  talk  about.  He  saw  the  big  rock  on 
the  shelf. 

"Perhaps  you  will  tell  me  why  you  keep  that  rock 
on  the  shelf?"  he  asked. 

"Oh,  that,"  said  the  woman  as  if  it  could  be  of  no 
importance,  "that  is  just  a  little  trick  of  Finn's.  He 
uses  it  to  practice  on  in  the  mornings." 


FINN  AND  THE  SCOTTISH  GIANT      43 

"Ho!  Ho!"  laughed  the  giant.  "Why  should  he 
practice  with  such  a  rock  as  that?''  He  picked  it 
up  and  tossed  it  from  hand  to  hand  as  though  it 
were  an  orange. 

"He  keeps  up  the  strength  of  his  fingers  with  it," 
answered  the  woman.  "Each  morning  he  squeezes 
the  water  out  of  a  rock.  If  you  are  the  man  Finn 
is  you  can  do  the  same." 

The  giant  took  the  stone  in  his  two  hands  and 
squeezed  with  all  his  might  and  main.  Of  course 
no  water  could  come  out  of  a  solid  rock.  The  first 
finger  of  his  right  hand  sank  into  the  stone  with 
his   efforts. 

"Your  one  finger  has  a  little  strength,"  said  the 
woman.  "If  the  rest  of  you  had  the  force  of  that 
finger,  you  might  get  a  few  drops." 

"It  is  that  finger  which  gives  me  my  strength," 
the  foolish  giant  told  her.  Once  more  he  took  up 
the  rock  and  squeezed  the  rock  harder  than  ever 
with  no  result.  The  baby  in  the  cradle  set  up  a 
lusty  cry. 

"Poor  baby,"  said  the  woman.  "He  is  sorry  for 
you.  His  father  lets  him  practice  on  a  small  rock. 
See  what  he  can  do." 

She  gave  Finn  the  ball  of  whey.  Finn  took  it  in 
his  two  hands  and  squeezed  it,  letting  the  water 
stream  on  the  floor.     The  giant  was  amazed. 

"It's  a  pretty  strong  baby,"  he  admitted. 


44  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"It  would  have  to  be  to  belong  to  Finn  MacCool," 
said  the  woman. 

The  giant  seemed  to  be  thinking  deeply.  Perhaps 
he  doubted  his  wisdom  in  coming  to  try  conclusions 
with  the  father  of  such  a  baby. 

Soon  Finn's  foster-mother  took  one  of  the  cakes 
from  the  cupboard  and  handed  it  to  the  giant. 

"Take  this/'  she  said.  "It  will  help  stay  your  ap- 
petite until  I  get  you  something  better." 

The  giant  thanked  her  and  bit  down  into  the  cake. 
As  it  was  one  of  those  with  the  iron  core,  all  he  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  was  to  break  off  two  of  his  teeth. 
He  took  the  cake  out  of  his  mouth  and  felt  his  jaw. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  the  woman.  "Maybe 
those  cakes  are  too  hard  for  you.  Finn  wouldn't 
eat  them  because  they  were  too  soft.  I'll  get  you 
another  one." 

She  passed  the  giant  one  more  of  the  iron-filled 
cakes.  Once  more  he  bit  into  it  and  again  he  lost 
some  teeth.  He  went  to  the  door  to  spit  them  out. 
He  did  not  seem  to  care  for  these  cakes. 

"You  say  Finn  doesn't  like  cakes  as  soft  as  that?" 
he  asked. 

"He  won't  touch  them,"  she  answered.  "He  leaves 
them  for  the  baby." 

She  took  one  of  the  ordinary  cakes  and  gave  it 
to  Finn  in  the  cradle.  The  giant  looked  on  to  see 
what  happened.     Finn  ate  the  cake  ravenously. 


FINN  AND  THE  SCOTTISH  GIANT      45 

The  giant  was  more  puzzled  than  ever.  He  called 
for  another  cake  and  bit  into  it  with  all  the  strength 
of  his  jaws.  It  would  be  hard  to  tell  just  how  many 
teeth  he  lost  this  time,  but  he  could  not  get  a  bite 
off  the  cake.  The  woman  gave  Finn  another  and 
again  it  went  down  in  a  hurry. 

"And  you  say  he  is  just  getting  his  teeth?''  asked 
the  giant. 

"Just  a  few  have  come/'  she  answered. 

"Fd  like  to  have  a  feel  of  such  teeth,"  said  the 
giant. 

He  put  his  strong  finger  in  Finn's  mouth  and  felt 
for  the  teeth.  This  was  just  what  Finn  had  been 
waiting  for.  As  soon  as  the  finger  was  in  his  mouth 
he  clamped  down  his  teeth  and  bit  it  off. 

With  the  loss  of  his  finger  the  giant's  extraordi- 
nary strength  left  him.  Finn  tore  off  the  bed  clothes 
and  set  upon  him  like  a  whirlwind.  The  walls  bulged 
out.  Most  of  the  house  was  ruined.  Finn's  foster- 
mother  watched  from  the  outside  of  the  house.  Soon 
she  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  giant  come 
dashing  out  of  the  house  with  Finn  hammering  him 
as  he  ran. 

Only  the  fact  that  the  giant's  legs  were  very  long 
saved  him  from  a  worse  beating.  He  got  out  on 
his  bridge  as  fast  as  he  could.  Nor  did  he  slow 
down  until  he  got  a  good  distance  from  the  Irish 
shore.     Then  he  threw  down  the  pillars  as  fast  as 


46  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

he  could  so  that  Finn  would  be  unable  to  follow  him. 
The  giant  never  tried  to  come  back.  He  cleared 
out  all  the  pillars  on  the  Scottish  side,  but,  you  can 
well  believe,  he  never  went  near  the  Irish  shore  again. 
To  this  day  you  can  still  see  them  standing  out  into 
the  water,  just  as  he  left  them  in  his  hurry.  People 
call  the  remaining  pillars  "The  Giant's  Causeway" 
and  this  is  the  story  they  tell  as  to  how  it  happens 
to  be  there. 


THE  STORY  OF  SABA       47 


THE  STORY  OF  SABA 

Finn  always  enjoyed  a  hunting  excursion.  In  those 
days,  when  all  the  fighting  was  done  with  sword  and 
spear,  hunting  was  a  different  sport  from  what  it  is 
today.  All  the  champions  had  fleet  hounds,  and  they, 
themselves,  from  their  training  in  speed,  lagged  little 
behind  the  dogs  in  the  chase. 

Finn  had  two  beautiful  hounds.  Bran  and  Skolawn, 
which  went  with  him  at  all  times.  He  was  very  fond 
of  them  both.  The  stories  tell  that  there  were  only 
two  times  in  his  life  that  he  shed  tears,  and  one  of 
these  was  at  the  death  of  Bran. 

One  day  Finn  was  out  on  the  chase  when  the 
hounds  gave  tongue  and  set  off  at  a  rapid  pace. 
You  may  be  sure  that  Finn  was  not  far  behind  them. 
When  he  came  to  a  little  glade  among  the  trees,  he 
saw  a  peculiar  sight.  There,  on  the  turf  beside  a 
little  stream,  stood  a  beautiful  doe.  Finn  raised  his 
spear,  but  the  strange  behavior  of  the  dogs  stayed 
his  hand.  Instead  of  rushing  at  the  deer,  they  ap- 
proached her  gently  and  licked  the  hair  of  her  neck 
and  shoulders. 

The  other  Fenians  came  up  and  would  have  killed 
the  animal  had  not  Finn  stopped  them. 


48  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"No",  he  cried.  "She  shall  not  be  killed!  If  the 
dogs  do  not  wish  to  harm  her  no  one  else  shall." 

When  Finn  went  back  to  his  camp,  the  deer  fol- 
lowed him  with  his  dogs.  When  he  went  into  his 
house,  she  lay  down  on  the  outside. 

That  night  he  awoke  suddenly  to  find  standing 
at  his  bedside  the  most  beautiful  woman  he  had 
ever  seen. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  stammered,  struggling  from 
his  sleep  and  rubbing  his  eyes. 

"I  am  Saba,  O  Finn,"  answered  the  maiden.  "I 
am  the  deer  you  spared  today." 

"The  deer!"  exclaimed  Finn. 

"That  shape  was  put  upon  me  by  the  Black  Druid 
because  I  w^ould  not  become  his  wife.  I  have  wan- 
dered in  the  forest,  pursued  by  man  and  beast,  and 
many  times  I  have  nearly  lost  my  life.  I  should  have 
given  up  all  hope  had  not  a  kindly  slave  of  the  Druid 
told  me  that  if  I  could  come  safely  into  your  camp 
I  would  be  freed  from  the  enchantment.  I  feared 
both  dogs  and  men,  but  I  trusted  myself  to  your  two 
hounds,  which  seemed  to  realize  my  helplessness." 

"Have  no  fear,  fair  Saba,"  said  Finn.  "The  Fen- 
ians fear  no  enchantment,  and  you  will  be  safe  while 
under  our  protection." 

Then  Finn  called  his  servants  and  had  them  pre- 
pare a  room  for  the  maiden.  The  remainder  of  the 
night  he  spent  in  dreams  of  the  beautiful  girl,  who 
had  come  to  him  for  protection. 


THE  STORY  OF  SABA  49 

Next  morning  Finn  did  not  go  out  on  the  chase. 
He  stayed  in  camp  and  talked  to  Saba.  He  found 
her  even  more  beautiful  in  the  daylight.  The  thought 
that  she  had  to  come  to  him  for  aid,  added  to  her 
many  charms,  caused  him  to  neglect  everything  for 
her.  It  ended  by  them  both  falling  deeply  in  love 
with  one  another. 

The  feast  for  the  wedding  of  Finn  and  Saba  was 
an  event  in  the  life  of  the  Fenians.  Never  had  such 
a  celebration  been  held  in  Ireland.  Conn,  the  High 
King,  and  his  son,  Cormack,  came.  It  could  safely 
have  been  said  that  no  king  nor  prince  ever  had  a 
finer  wedding  or  a  more  beautiful  bride. 

For  months  Finn  would  not  leave  his  young  wife. 
Adventures  had  no  call  to  him;  hunting  had  no 
charms.  The  love  of  this  couple  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  ones  in  history. 

But  later  there  came  a  call  to  duty.  Word  came 
to  Finn  that  the  Danes  had  landed  on  the  north 
coast  of  Erin,  and  that  the  Fenians  were  battling 
without  their  leader.  This  Finn  could  not  allow. 
He  got  out  his  weapons  and  shield,  mounted  his 
horse  and  left  for  the  scene  of  the  battle. 

His  farewell  to  Saba  was  very  touching.  That 
she  might  have  perfect  protection  while  he  was  ab- 
sent, he  left  behind  a  guard  of  some  of  his  bravest 
men,  with  cautions  that  they  must  give  their  lives 
rather  than  k*(  her  come  under  the  power  of  the 
Black  Druid. 


50  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

For  eight  days  and  nights  he  fought  the  Danes. 
At  the  end  of  that  time,  with  the  foe  driven  back 
into  the  sea,  he  hastened  to  his  young  bride.  His 
heart  was  filled  with  joyousness  at  the  thought  of 
being  with  her  again. 

But  when  he  approached  his  home,  he  saw  his 
men  standing  around  in  open-mouthed  astonishment. 
Noting  their  look  of  fear,  he  called  the  chief  of 
them  to  him. 

"What  has  happened?''  he  asked.  ''Why  is  it  my 
men  look  at  me  in  such  surprise.  Did  they  not  ex- 
pect me  to  return?'' 

The  chief  seemed  puzzled,  too.  ''Were  you  not 
here  three  days  ago?"  he  asked. 

"Certainly  not,"  answered  Finn.  "Where  is  Saba? 
Did  the  Black  Druid—" 

"I  am  fearful,  O  Finn,  that  it  was  indeed  he," 
replied  the  chief.  "Three  days  ago  we  saw  you 
approaching  with  your  two  dogs  at  your  side.  Your 
wife  went  joyously  forth  to  meet  you.  The  man  we 
thought  was  you  took  her  up  behind  him,  and  then 
all  disappeared  in  a  mist.  If  it  was  not  you,  it  must 
have  been  the  Druid  appearing  in  your  shape." 

Finn,  with  his  heart  sad  within  him,  searched  every 
place  from  one  end  of  Erin  to  the  other,  but  without 
success.  It  was  too  true.  His  wife  had  disappeared 
as  into  a  mist.  It  was  undoubtedly  the  work  of  the 
Black  Druid. 


The  boy  stood  with  his  back  to  the  tree  waiting  for  the 
hounds  to  attack 

From  the  Story  of  Sabz 


THE  STORY  OF  SABA  51 

Finn  throughout  all  his  life  never  ceased  to  mourn 
for  Saba,  nor  to  search  for  her.  Six  years  after  her 
disappearance,  while  hunting  in  the  forest,  he  came 
upon  a  wild  boy  with  straggly  hair  and  fierce  eyes. 
His  only  clothing  was  the  skins  of  beasts.  The 
hounds  had  found  him,  and  when  Finn  came  up,  the 
boy  was  standing  with  his  back  to  a  tree,  waiting 
to  strangle  the  hounds  if  they  came  at  him. 

The  sight  reminded  Finn  of  his  own  boyhood  days. 
He  called  off  the  dogs  and  took  the  boy  home  with 
him.  At  first  the  little  fellow  was  too  timid  and  un- 
used to  language  to  speak.  Gradually,  however,  his 
fear  left  him  and  he  became  able  to  tell  of  his  life 
in  the  forest. 

He  could  remember  a  woman  who  had  dwelt  with 
him  in  a  cave.  A  dark  man  had  come  and  pleaded 
with  her  for  several  days,  but  always  she  had  refused 
to  do  what  the  man  asked.  At  last  he  had  become 
angry,  had  left  the  cave  and  had  never  returned. 
The  little  boy  remembered  that  he  had  never  seen 
the  woman  again.  After  that  he  had  been  tended 
by  a  beautiful  deer. 

Then  Finn  knew  that  the  woman  was  Saba  and 
that  the  wild  boy  was  his  own  son.  He  understood 
what  the  boy  could  not.  The  Black  Druid  had  en- 
ticed his  wife  away  and  tried  once  more  to  get  her 
to  marry  him.  When  she  persistently  refused  him, 
he  had  turned  her  back  into  a  deer. 


52  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

Once  more  Finn  searched  the  forest,  hoping  that 
he  might  again  find  the  gentle  deer,  which  had  come 
to  him  before.  His  quest  was  without  resuh.  Pos- 
sibly the  Druid  saw  to  it  that  she  should  never  get 
near  him,  but  it  was  more  likely  that  some  hunter 
had  killed  her.  Finn  mourned  her  as  dead  and  gave 
his  attention  to  the  raising  of  his  boy. 

He  named  the  child  Ossian,  which  means  Little 
Faun.  He  taught  him  the  poetry  of  the  day  and 
trained  him  in  feats  of  arms.  Ossian  grew  up  to 
be  a  worthy  son  of  his  father.  In  all  the  later  bat- 
tles we  read  of  what  a  splendid  fighter  he  was.  He 
and  his  son,  Oscar,  were  always  in  the  front  in  time 
of  danger. 

But  Ossian  was  not  only  a  great  warior.  He  in- 
herited his  father's  love  for  poetry  and  the  ability 
to  write  it.  We  have  great  numbers  of  stories  about 
the  deeds  of  Finn  and  the  Fenians,  and  the  greater 
number  are  written  by  the  poet,  Ossian. 


CONAN,  THE  BALD        53 


CONAN,  THE  BALD 

Not  all  the  warriors  of  the  Fenians  were  noted 
for  their  bravery.  It  is  now  necessary  that  we  be- 
come acquainted  with  Conan,  the  unheroic  member 
of  the  band.  The  stories  do  not  tell  how  he  ever 
passed  his  entrance  trials,  or  why  he  was  allowed 
to  remain  a  member.  He  did  many  things  the  Fen- 
ians considered  as  unworthy  of  them. 

Conan  was  a  man  with  ah  evil  tongue.  He  never 
had  a  good  word  for  any  one.  No  matter  what  his 
companions  did,  Conan  would  never  have  a  word  of 
praise  for  them.  He  would  make  sneering  remarks 
about  the  feat.  This  did  not  mean  that  he  would 
have  done  better  himself.  Far  from  it!  He  was  a 
great  coward  and  shirked  any  task  which  had  any 
danger  attached  to  it. 

The  fact  that  he  had  lost  all  his  hair  gave  him 
his  name.  But  there  was  something  else  about  him 
that  gave  the  Fenians  a  great  deal  of  amusement. 
Whenever  his  armor  was  cut  at  the  back,  it  showed 
everyone  that  he  had  the  back  of  a  sheep.  When 
you  hear  how  he  got  such  a  back,  you  will  not  won- 
der why  the  Fenians  enjoyed  the  joke  so  much. 


54  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

One  day  Finn,  Conan  and  several  other  heroes 
were  out  hunting.  All  day  long  they  had  followed 
the  chase,  and  in  the  afternoon  they  arrived  in  a 
new  country,  before  a  beautiful  castle.  Seing  no 
one  around  they  went  in.  They  found  themselves 
in  a  large  room,  down  the  center  of  which  ran  a 
big  table  loaded  with  food.  Along  the  sides  of  the 
table  were  rows  of  high-backed  chairs. 

As  there  was  no  one  around,  and  as  the  feast 
seemed  to  have  been  just  prepared,  the  men  decided 
that  it  had  been  placed  there  for  them.  They  sat 
down  and  began  to  eat.    It  was  a  delicious  meal. 

Suddenly  something  about  the  room  made  Finn 
look  up  from  his  food.  When  they  had  come  in,  the 
ceiling  had  been  high  and  richly  decorated.  Now 
it  was  changing  into  the  smoke-stained  roof  of  a 
hut.  Finn  knew  then  that  they  had  walked  into  an 
enchanted  house,  put  there  just  to  trap  them.  He 
called  out  a  warning  to  his  companions  and  ordered 
them  all  outside  immediately. 

When  they  were  free  from  the  house,  and  saw  the 
great  change  that  had  taken  place  in  it,  they  were, 
thankful  for  Finn's  wisdom  in  getting  them  out  be- 
fore it  had  been  too  late. 

But  they  were  not  all  out.  Conan  was  still  in  the 
room  eating  like  a  pig.  They  called  to  him,  urging 
him  to  hurry.  He  refused  to  leave  such  a  fine  array 
of  food.     At  last  two  of  the  Fenians  rushed  in  and 


CONAN,  THE  BALD  55 

took  him  by  the  arms.  When  they  pulled  at  him 
they  found  that  the  enchantment  was  already  begin- 
ning to  work.  He  was  growing  fast  to  the  back 
of  the  chair. 

Conan  was  now  thoroughly  alarmed.  He  begged 
the  men  to  pull  him  loose.  The  two  Fenians  pulled 
with  all  their  might.  With  a  mighty  wrench  they 
freed  him,  but  his  shirt  and  the  skin  of  his  back 
had  grown  fast  to  the  chair. 

He  was  in  a  very  painful  condition.  Something 
had  to  be  done  to  relieve  him.  He  just  lay  on  the 
ground  and  moaned  and  groaned. 

"Kill  a  sheep  and  cover  the  wound  with  the  skin 
of  the  animal/'  ordered  Finn. 

The  men  did  his  bidding.  The  skin  of  the  freshly 
killed  sheep  was  cut  to  fit  and  bound  to  his  sore  back. 
Then  Finn  gave  him  a  drink  of  water  from  his  cup- 
ped hands  and  restored  his  strength  to  him.  The 
sheepskin  grew  fast  and  could  never  be  removed, 
so  Conan  always  had  to  wear  it. 

With  all  Conan's  cowardice,  he  really  did  come 
out  victorious  in  one  battle.  But  when  you  hear  of 
this  particular  combat,  you  will  understand  why  the 
Fenians,  instead  of  honoring  him  for  it,  had  less 
respect  for  him  than  ever. 

During  the  progress  of  one  battle,  when  a  hostile 
army  had  landed  on  the  shores  of  Erin,  one  cham- 
pion stood  out  in  front  each  morning  and  demanded 
single  combat. 


56  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

''If  you  are  not  afraid  of  me,"  he  would  call,  ''why 
don't  you  send  a  man  to  meet  me?" 

He  was  not  a  great  hero  and  the  Fenians  refused 
to  be  bothered  with  him  alone.  Fmally,  when  they 
grew  tired  of  hearing  the  challenge,  as  a  joke  they 
sent  Conan  out  to  fight  with  him.  A  roar  of  laugh- 
ter came  from  the  Fenians  as  Conan  went  cautiously 
out  to  meet  this  man.  The  enemy  gave  a  cry  of  rage 
at  the  insult,  and  the  champion  called  out  angrily: 

"What  do  you  mean  by  sending  a  clown  to  meet 
me?  Is  there  not  a  man  among  you  who  dares  to 
face  me?" 

Conan  came  forward  slowly,  afraid  for  his  life. 
When  he  got  close  to  the  champion,  the  latter  said 
sarcastically : 

"The  Fenians  seem  anxious  that  I  be  left  unharm- 
ed, since  they  send  me  such  a  dangerous  foe." 

"You  are  in  more  danger  from  the  man  behind 
you,  than  from  the  one  in  front  of  you,"  said  the 
cowardly  Conan. 

The  champion  looked  around  to  see  what  he  meant. 
At  that  moment  Conan  swung  his  sword  and  cut  off 
the  man's  head. 

This  treacherous  way  of  winning  a  combat  an- 
gered Finn  and  the  Fenians  beyond  all  measure. 
They  considered  that  Conan  had  disgraced  them.  It 
is  a  wonder  they  did  not  put  him  to  death.  His  only 
punishment  was   banishment   from  the  band  for   a 


CONAN,  THE  BALD  57 

short  time.  We  find  him  in  the  later  stories,  just 
as  full  of  trickery,  just  as  cowardly  and  just  as  un- 
complimentary to  his  companions,  but  still  the  butt 
of  all  their  jokes. 


58  LEGENDARY  HEROES 


DERMOT  OF  THE  LOVE  SPOT 

One  of  the  most  splendid  heroes  of  the  Fenians 
was  Dermot.  His  name  is  second  only  to  that  of 
Finn  in  the  stories  of  valiant  deeds.  He  was  younger 
than  his  chief  by  many  years,  even  younger  than 
Ossian,  Finn's  son.  Dermot  was  the  fleetest  man  of 
them  all,  and  also  the  one  with  the  keenest  eyes.  In 
many  of  the  stories  he  is  chosen  for  deeds  of  valor 
rather  than  Finn  himself.  This  happens,  however, 
when  Finn  is  an  old  man,  and  his  wisdom  and  lead- 
ership are  of  more  value  than  his  strength. 

This  young  hero  was  the  son  of  a  god.  In  those 
days,  however,  gods  could  be  wounded  and  could 
die.  They  lived  on  earth  and  needed  food  to  live 
on,  just  the  same  as  other  men.  The  distinction  be- 
tween the  Irish  gods  and  heroes  like  Finn  is  very 
slight  in  the  old  stories.  Dermot  did  have  one  gift 
no  other  Fenian  possessed.  His  foster-father,  the 
god  Angus,  had  granted  him  a  body  that  no  weapon 
could  wound.  There  was  but  one  thing  that  could 
harm  him.  That  was  the  tusks  of  a  wild  boar.  His 
foster-father  warned  him  never  to  hunt  the  boar  un- 
less it  was  absolutely  necessary,  and  then  to  exercise 
every  care  so  as  not  to  be  wounded  by  the  tusks. 


DERMOT  OF  THE  LOVE  SPOT  59 

Dermot  was  a  handsome  man,  with  curling  fair 
hair  and  blue  eyes  like  those  of  his  leader.  He  was 
Finn's  closest  companion  and  greatly  loved  by  him. 
His  was  the  soul  of  honor.  If  he  got  into  trouble 
it  was  from  doing  some  task  his  honor  demanded. 
His  courage  and  strength  were  unquestioned.  The 
Fenians  always  fought  with  more  bravery  if  they 
knew  Dermot  was  with  them. 

Such  a  handsome  man  could  not  help  being  very 
popular  with  the  maidens  of  Erin.  They  liked  him 
because  of  his  strength  and  his  handsome  face.  But 
it  was  the  Love  Spot  on  his  forehead  which  made  it 
impossible  for  any  girl  to  look  at  him  and  not  fall 
in  love  with  him.  You  shall  have  to  hear  how  he 
received  this  gift. 

One  day  he  was  out  hunting  with  Conan,  Oscar 
and  Gaul  of  Morna.  As  often  happened  in  those 
days,  the  chase  led  them  far  from  their  camp.  With 
the  coming  of  darkness  they  began  to  look  for  a 
shelter  for  the  night.  They  wandered  around  until 
they  came  upon  a  little  house  in  the  forest.  When 
they  knocked,  a  gray-haired  man  came  to  the  door 
and  inquired  their  errand. 

"We  ask  for  thy  hospitality,"  said  Dermot. 

"That  you  shall  have,"  declared  the  old  man, 
throwing  wide  the  door.  "Come  right  in,  and  thou- 
sand welcomes  to  you." 

Inside  they  found  a  queer  household  waiting  for 


60  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

them.  At  the  table  sat  a  beautiful  young  girl;  be- 
fore the  fire  was  a  large  gray  cat;  while  lying  at 
one  side  of  the  fireplace  was  a  big  sheep  with  a 
fleece  of  long,  shaggy  wool. 

The  old  man  went  into  the  kitchen  of  the  house 
and  prepared  a  splendid  meal,  which  he  placed  be- 
fore the  heroes.  All  ate  heartily,  but,  as  usual,  Co- 
nan  was  still  eating  after  all  the  others  had  finished. 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  sheep,  which  climbed 
to  the  table  and  commenced  eating  of  the  food  that 
was  left.  Conan  pushed  the  animal's  nose  out  of 
the  food  time  and  time  again  and  tried  to  go  on 
with  his  eating.  It  was  of  no  use.  Before  he  could 
get  a  bite,  the  old  sheep  would  thrust  its  nose  into 
the  plate. 

"I  call  it  a  strange  house  where  a  sheep  is  allowed 
to  eat  from  the  table,"  declared  Conan. 

"1  did  not  put  him  there,"  answered  the  old  man. 
"If  you  do  not  like  his  company,  put  him  oflf." 

Conan  grasped  the  sheep  in  his  two  arms,  intend- 
ing to  lift  it  from  the  table.  To  his  surprise  he  could 
not  move  it.  He  tugged  and  strained  without  avail. 
At  last  the  sheep,  with  a  quick  toss  of  his  head, 
threw  Conan  into  the  center  of  the  room. 

How  the  other  men  roared  with  laughter!  It  was 
always  amusing  to  see  Conan  get  the  worst  of  any- 
thing.    As  for  Conan,  he  picked  himself  up  sulkily. 

''You  laugh  loudly,"  he  growled.  'T'll  wager  there 
is  not  one  of  you  who  can  move  it," 


DERMOT  OF  THE  LOVE  SPOT  61 

The  idea  was  ridiculous.  To  think  of  anyone 
claiming  to  be  a  hero  and  unable  to  lift  an  ordinary 
sheep!  Oscar,  with  a  laugh,  started  to  brush  the 
animal  away  with  one  hand.  Soon  he  had  the  sheep 
in  both  arms  and  was  tuggling  and  straining  in  an 
attempt  to  move  it.  Then  he,  too,  found  himself 
thrown  lightly  away  from  the  table. 

Now  it  ceased  to  be  a  joke.  Dermot  tried  to  re- 
move the  animal  with  no  better  success.  Gaul,  it  is 
true,  got  the  sheep  off  the  table  for  a  moment,  but 
the  animal  soon  turned  this  hero  on  his  back  and 
stood  upon  him.     Then  it  jumped  back  to  the  table. 

During  all  this  time  the  old  man  had  been  look- 
ing on  in  amusement.  Now  he  spoke  to  the  cat, 
which  was  lazily  basking  itself  before  the  fire. 

'Take  him  away,"  ordered  the  old  man. 

The  cat  got  up  slowly  and  climbed  to  the  table. 
Then,  taking  the  sheep  by  the  long  hair  of  its  throat, 
the  cat  led  it  down  and  out  of  the  room. 

The  four  heroes  looked  at  one  another  in  surprise 
and  astonishment.  Dermot  picked  up  his  shield  and 
his  weapons.  ''Come,"  he  said  to  his  companions. 
"We  shall  not  stay  under  a  roof  where  a  host  makes 
game  of  his  guests." 

"Sit  down,"  said  the  old  man.  "You  have  been 
testing  your  strength  in  an  impossible  feat.  You 
will  not  feel  badly  over  your  failure  when  I  tell  you 
that  the  sheep  you  tried  to  move  was  the  World, 


62  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

itself.  To  lift  it  is  a  task  no  man  can  accomplish. 
The  cat  could  master  the  animal  easily,  because  the 
cat  was  Old  Age,  and  even  the  world  cannot  with- 
stand its  force.  Come,  let  me  show  you  to  your  beds." 

The  heroes  were  somewhat  soothed  by  the  expla- 
nations and  followed  the  host  into  another  room, 
where  they  found  their  beds  prepared  for  them. 
Later,  the  young  girl  came  to  the  door  and  looked 
from  one  to  the  other  of  the  men. 

'T  have  a  gift,"  she  said.  *'It  goes  to  but  one 
of  you." 

"Let  me  have  it,"  said  Conan.  "If  ever  a  man 
needed  a  gift,  it  is  L" 

"Give  it  to  me,"  said  Oscar.    "I  am  the  strongest." 

Gaul  and  Dermot  said  nothing.  These  men  were 
wise.  They  knew  that  they  were  in  an  enchanted 
house,  and  that  the  girl  would  give  the  gift  to  whom 
she  chose. 

"Not  to  you,  or  you,  or  you,"  she  said  pointing  in 
turn  to  Conan,  Oscar  and  Gaul.  "My  gift  cannot 
go  to  any  of  you.  I  am  Youth  and  youth  has  left 
you  all." 

She  approached  the  couch  of  Dermot.  "You  can 
never  grow  old,"  she  said,  "so  I  shall  always  be  with 
you.  To  you  I  shall  give  the  gift  that  Youth  can 
bestow." 

She  raised  her  wand  and  touched  him  lightly  on 
the  forehead. 


DERMOT  OF  THE  LOVE  SPOT  63 

'T  give  to  you  the  Love  Spot,  Dermot/'  she  said. 
"Who  wears  it  will  win  the  love  of  all  women.  No 
maiden  will  be  able  to  look  upon  you  without  loving 
you.     Treat  my  gift  with  honor  and  with  wisdom." 

Then  the  maiden  left  the  room,  and  the  heroes 
went  to  sleep. 

That  is  the  way  in  which  Dermot  received  the 
Love  Spot.  It  made  him  beloved  by  all  women,  but 
in  the  end,  this  gift  caused  him  great  sorrow.  You 
shall  see  in  the  story  of  "Dermot  and  Grainne"  that 
the  gifts  of  the  fairies  do  not  always  bring  happiness. 


64  LEGENDARY  HEROES 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN 

Finn's  dearest  friend  and  constant  companion,  dur- 
ing his  later  years,  was  Dermot.  This  young  man 
was  most  loyal  to  his  chief,  and  because  he  was  such 
a  true  friend,  so  strong  in  the  fight,  so  swift  of  foot 
and  so  keen  of  sight,  Finn  depended  greatly  upon 
him.  Where  Finn  went  you  were  sure  to  find  Der- 
mot, and  if  Dermot  was  off  on  an  adventure,  Finn 
was  pretty  sure  to  be  with  him. 

On  the  day  of  our  story  the  two  were  out  hunt- 
ing with  some  friends.  We  find  these  Fenians  on 
the  hunt  a  great  deal  of  the  time.  The  reason  is 
a  simple  one.  From  November  to  May  the  men  of 
the  army  lived  at  the  expense  of  the  High  King  and 
the  people;  from  May  to  November  they  had  to  get 
their  food  and  clothing  by  hunting.  Naturally,  many 
of  the  adventures  start  on  a  hunting  trip. 

As  this  particular  morning  advanced,  the  party 
decided  to  stop  in  a  little  sheltered  spot  near  the 
shore  for  their  meal.  It  was  while  the  men  were 
getting  the  game  cooked  that  Finn  and  Dermot  stroll- 
ed along  the  beach  and  sat  down  on  a  ledge  of  rock. 
While  they  were  there  a  ship  sailed  into  the  little 
harbor. 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  65 

It  was  a  small  vessel,  handsome  in  every  line,  with 
sails  full  as  if  in  a  strong  breeze.  This  was  remark- 
able because  no  air  was  stirring  at  that  time.  The 
ship  neared  the  shore  and  stopped.  The  sails  drop- 
ped loosely.  Finn  and  Dermot  looked  in  vain  for 
the  crew,  but  there  was  no  one  visible  except  a  lone 
woman,  who  sat  on  the  deck. 

"It  is  a  wonder  to  me  that  one  woman  should  be 
able  to  sail  a  ship  alone  and  come  into  a  harbor  at 
full  speed  with  no  wind  blowing,"  said  Finn. 

Dermot  was  looking  with  interest  toward  the  ship. 

"You  shall  not  wonder  long,''  said  Dermot.  "I 
will  go  down  and  bring  you  word." 

Finn  detained  him  with  a  laugh.  "No,  Dermot," 
he  said.  "This  time  we  will  take  into  consideration 
the  heart  of  the  lady.     I  shall  see  for  myself." 

Finn  went  down  to  the  shore,  placed  the  point  of 
his  sword  upon  a  rock  and  sprang  lightly  to  the 
deck  of  the  vessel. 

He  was  amazed  at  the  beauty  of  it  all.  The  deck 
was  as  clean  as  a  deck  could  be  with  trimmings  of 
silver  and  gold.  At  the  end,  on  a  seat  of  the  finest 
tapestry,  sat  a  beautiful  woman.  She  smiled  engag- 
ingly and  held  out  her  hand  toward  Finn. 

"Come  here,"  she  said.  "I  wish  you  would  tell 
me  where  I  have  landed." 

"You  are  in  the  harbor  of  Erin,"  said  Finn. 

"And  could  you  tell  me  where  I  am  to  find  the 
home  of  a  man  named  Finn  MacCool?"  she  asked. 


66  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"You  will  not  need  to  find  his  home,  for  I  am  Finn 
himself/'  he  answered. 

"Then  I  am  indeed  lucky,"  said  the  woman.  "I 
have  come  to  play  a  game  with  Finn.  I  have  heard 
that  he  never  refuses  to  play  for  a  sentence,  and 
that  he  honorably  lives  up  to  his  agreements." 

It  flattered  Finn  to  be  praised  by  a  beautiful  wo- 
man. Like  most  of  the  heroes  of  history  his  wis- 
dom deserted  him  when  dealing  with  a  woman.  It 
was  true  that  he  and  the  other  Fenians  took  great 
delight  in  playing  a  game  for  a  wager.  These  wag- 
ers were  usually  in  the  form  of  sentences.  That  is, 
they  would  play  a  game  and  at  the  end  the  winner 
would  set  a  task  for  the  loser  to  perform.  Some- 
times these  tasks  required  years  of  labor  and  much 
suffering,  but  no  Fenian  ever  refused  to  carry  out 
a  sentence  imposed  upon  him. 

"I  would  willingly  play  if  I  had  my  board  and 
chessmen,"  said  Finn. 

"I  have  them  as  good  as  your  own,"  answered  the 
woman.  To  prove  it  she  pulled  out  a  beautiful  board 
and  a  set  of  silver  and  gold  chessmen.  She  had 
Finn  sit  on  the  seat  near  her  to  play.  At  the  end 
of  the  first  game  Finn  was  the  winner. 

"You  have  beaten  me,"  she  said  with  a  dazzling 
smile.    "What  is  the  sentence  you  are  to  pronounce?" 

Now  Finn  had  not  quite  made  up  his  mind  as  to 
what  manner  of  woman  it  was  who  was  playing  with 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  67 

him.  She  looked  and  dressed  like  a  king's  daughter, 
but  an  enchantress  could  assume  that  appearance. 
To  prove  it  he  made  a  sentence  that  would  prove 
very  difficult  for  anyone  not  able  to  use  the  arts 
of  magic. 

"I  put  you  under  bonds/'  he  said,  "not  to  eat  twice 
in  the  same  place  or  sleep  twice  in  the  same  bed 
until  you  have  brought  me  a  white  horse  with  a  sad- 
dle and  bridle  of  red  leather  for  myself  and  each 
of  the  Fenians  with  me  today.'' 

The  woman  smiled  again.  "Look  behind  you," 
she  said. 

Finn  looked  toward  the  shore.  There  were  the 
beautiful  steeds  he  had  ordered,  handsome  in  their 
saddles  and  bridles  of  red  leather.  In  the  lead  was 
one  much  finer  than  the  others. 

Finn  knew  then  that  he  was  playing  with  an  en- 
chantress. He  wished  he  was  well  out  of  his  bar- 
gain, but  he  could  not  refuse  to  play  the  second 
game  without  violating  the  honor  of  a  Fenian.  He 
felt  sure  that  the  woman  would  win  the  next  game. 

The  second  game  was  short.  As  Finn  imagined, 
the  woman,  by  the  aid  of  her  powers,  proved  an  easy 
winner.  He  was  anxious  to  know  what  was  in  store 
for  him. 

"Let  me  know  my  sentence  at  once,"  he  demanded. 

"Perhaps  you  will  be  sorry  for  your  impatience 
when  you  hear  it,"  said  the  lady. 


68  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"No  trouble  was  ever  made  lighter  by  putting  it 
off,"  declared  Finn.  'Tronounce  your  sentence  im- 
mediately/' 

"Very  well,"  she  answered.  "I  put  you  under 
bonds  to  go  with  me  and  obey  me  in  what  I  ask  until 
some  one  throws  upon  you  the  amount  of  seven  shov- 
elfuls of  earth.  You  will  be  under  my  enchantment 
until  that  happens." 

Finn  did  not  show  his  dismay  when  he  heard  this 
hard  sentence. 

"It  is  your  right  to  demand  it,"  he  said.  "Wait 
here  until  I  give  the  steeds  to  my  men  and  leave 
orders  for  them  to  follow  during  my  absence." 

When  he  turned  to  look  for  the  horses  they  had 
vanished.     She  saw  his  look  of  astonishment. 

"You  put  me  under  bonds  to  bring  the  steeds,  but 
I  was  not  obliged  to  leave  them  there,"  said  the  en- 
chantress. 

"It  is  true,"  said  Finn.  "Now,  since  you  have 
taken  advantage  of  the  wording  of  my  sentence,  I 
shall  try  to  evade  yours.  You  have  put  me  under 
bonds  to  go  with  you,  but  you  did  not  mention  that 
I  was  not  to  try  to  escape  from  them." 

She  nodded.  "Of  course,  as  a  man  of  honor  you 
cannot  tell  anyone  what  will  release  you,"  she  said. 
"If  you  free  yourself  otherwise,  I  shall  be  to  blame." 

Finn  went  ashore  to  tell  his  men  of  his  wager  and 
sentence.    He  gave  orders  as  to  the  conduct  of  the 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  69 

Fenians  during  his  absence,  then  took  Dermot  to  the 
top  of  a  hill  near  the  shore. 

"Your  eyes  and  ears  are  best  in  all  Erin,"  said 
Finn.  "You  will  remain  here  to  watch  and  listen. 
If  you  hear  my  horn,  it  will  mean  that  I  am  not  able 
to  release  myself  by  my  own  efforts." 

"I  will  not  leave  until  you  are  back  or  my  body 
turns  to  dust  and  the  wind  carries  it  away,"  declared 
Dermot. 

Then  Finn  went  down  to  the  ship  and  sprang 
aboard.  The  watchers  saw  the  sails  fill  and  the  boat 
move  swiftly  out  of  sight  over  the  waves. 

11. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  vessel  arrived  in  a 
small  harbor,  which  Fmn  recognized  as  the  port  of 
the  White  Nation.  This  was  not  very  encouraging 
to  him,  because  in  a  battle  not  long  before  he  had 
defeated  the  king  of  that  nation.  He  began  to  sus- 
pect that  he  was  under  enchantment  for  some  pur- 
pose. Still  he  must  go  with  the  woman  because  he 
had  pledged  his  word. 

When  the  ship  stopped  the  woman  got  out  and 
bade  him  follow  her.  On  the  shore  she  paused,  and 
pointing  to  a  broad  road  bordered  with  tall  trees, 
said, 

"As  you  are  a  great  champion  in  your  country  it 
is  not  fitting  for  you  to  follow  me  into  the  city  as  a 


70  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

servant.  You  will  walk  up  the  road  to  the  palace 
while  I  take  a  shorter  one  and  prepare  a  welcome  for 
you." 

Finn  did  as  he  was  told.  He  was  puzzled  and  anx- 
ious. He  could  not  but  feel  that  there  was  something 
wrong  with  this  plan.  The  woman  had  put  him  under 
bonds  to  come  as  a  servant,  and  now  she  made  it  ap- 
pear that  this  was  not  what  she  wished.  Finn  wished 
that  he  had  been  able  to  keep  his  sword,  but  that  the 
woman  would  not  allow.  Only  one  thought  cheered 
him.  Dermot  was  watching  and  listening,  ready  to 
come  to  his  assistance  at  any  time. 

Soon  he  came  to  the  gates  of  the  palace.  A  great 
crowd  of  people  rushed  out  as  though  to  welcome 
him.  The  welcome  was  a  deceit.  The  men  pushed 
against  him  on  all  sides  and  shoved  him  from  one  to 
another  until  he  was  bruised  and  bleeding.  Finn  was 
the  match  for  many  ordinary  men  in  strength.  Still, 
without  his  swords,  he  could  not  stand  off  a  multi- 
tude. 

Thus  pushing  and  jostling  him  the  crowd  bore  him 
into  the  courtyard  into  the  presence  of  the  ruler  of 
the  nation.  The  king  sat  upon  a  raised  platform  and 
by  his  side,  in  the  robes  of  a  princess,  was  the  woman 
who  had  brought  Finn  to  the  country  under  sentence. 

When  the  king  saw  Finn  he  laughed  long  and 
loudly. 

"What  ho,  Finn  MacCool!"  roared  he.    "Methinks 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  71 

this  is  a  fine  manner  for  the  arrival  of  a  champion  of 
Erin." 

Finn  hung  his  head  in  shame. 

"My  daughter  asked  me  to  name  the  thing  I  most 
desired  in  all  the  world,"  went  on  the  king.  "I  told 
her  the  one  thing  necessary  to  my  happiness  was  the 
head  of  Finn  MacCool.  She  promised  to  bring  you 
here  that  I  might  take  it  myself." 

Finn's  heart  sank.  He  felt  that  the  hour  of  his 
death  was  very  near.  The  king  stepped  down  from 
his  platform,  sword  in  hand,  and  swung  the  weapon 
back  and  forth. 

"You  would  not  dare  do  that  if  you  would  let  me 
have  a  sword,"  said  Finn,  looking  him  squarely  in 
the  eye. 

The  king  drew  back  and  bowed  his  head  in 
thought.  Probably  he  had  hoped  to  have  Finn  beg 
for  his  life. 

"No,"  he  said  at  length,  "I  will  let  you  think  over 
the  fact  that  you  are  in  my  power.  It  will  be  pleasant 
for  you  to  lie  and  wonder  how  long  I  w411  let  you 
live." 

He  gave  orders  that  Finn's  legs  and  arms  be  firmly 
tied  with  seven  knots  on  each  rope  so  that  escape 
would  be  impossible.  Then  he  had  his  captive  placed 
in  a  dark  dungeon.  Each  day  he  was  to  receive  an 
ounce  of  bread  and  a  pint  of  water,  no  more  under 
any  consideration.    For  a  big  strong  man  like  Finn 


72  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

this  was  very  little  food.  But  being  tied  and  lying  in 
a  black  hole  was  even  more  likely  to  take  the  spirit 
out  of  him. 

Each  day  an  old  woman  came  with  his  food  and 
water,  but  his  arms  and  legs  were  never  loosened.  On 
the  eighth  day  Finn  said  to  the  woman, 

"Tell  the  king  that  I  beg  leave  to  walk  in  the  gar- 
den for  an  hour.  I  do  not  ask  for  my  head,  but  if  he 
does  not  give  me  a  little  freedom  I  shall  not  be  able  to 
live.  For  the  king  to  take  the  head  of  a  dead  man 
would  be  small  glory.'' 

The  king  yielded  to  this  request  and  ordered  Finn 
an  hour  of  freedom.  He  took  no  chances,  however. 
The  walk  was  to  occur  in  a  walled  garden  and  thirty 
armed  men  were  to  be  with  him  every  moment. 

Finn  was  happy  over  the  privilege.  It  was  not  the 
fear  of  death  that  had  made  him  ask  for  the  walk. 
No,  he  had  a  far  better  reason,  as  you  shall  see.  After 
he  had  walked  a  few  minutes  he  said, 

'T  am  very  fond  of  music.  Have  you  any  musical 
instruments  with  you?" 

Now  the  chief  was  very  sorry  to  see  such  a  mighty 
man  a  prisoner  without  a  chance  for  his  life.  He 
would  gladly  have  had  the  music  played,  but  was 
obliged  to  confess  that  none  of  his  men  had  instru- 
ments with  them  at  the  time. 

Then  Finn  took  from  under  his  clothes  a  queerly 
shaped  horn.    He  turned  it  over  and  over  in  his 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  73 

hands  and  looked  at  it  as  though  it  was  very  dear  to 
him.   Finally  he  spoke. 

"When  I  was  at  home  and  in  charge  of  my  men  I 
used  to  play  for  them  quite  often.  I  really  enjoy 
music  very  much.  I  wonder — perhaps  you  and  your 
men  might  like  to  hear  a  tune?"  he  finished,  as 
though  the  idea  had  just  come  to  him. 

"I  should  be  very  glad  to  hear  you  play,"  answered 
the  chief. 

So  Finn  placed  the  horn  to  his  lips  and  played  a 
tune  of  the  Fenians.  At  the  end  of  the  air  he  blew  a 
blast  that  echoed  from  hill  to  hill  and  made  the  lis- 
teners involuntarily  put  their  hands  to  their  ears. 
Then  Finn  put  the  horn  away  and  was  willing  to  be 
tied  up  again.  The  chief  thought  he  had  heard  some 
wild  Irish  music.  He  little  dreamed  that  the  call  had 
gone  out  for  help. 

III. 

Dermot  was  asleep  when  Finn  sounded  the  horn 
but  the  last  note  of  it  waked  him.  He  sprang  to  his 
feet  with  a  mighty  bound  that  sent  showers  of  rocks 
and  dirt  in  every  direction. 

"Great  is  the  trouble  of  my  chief!"  he  exclaimed. 
"I  have  never  heard  such  a  blast  from  his  horn." 

He  rushed  to  the  shore,  found  a  small  boat  lying 
there,  hoisted  the  sail  and  set  off  in  the  direction 
from  whence  the  sound  had  come.    He  was  lucky 


74  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

enough  to  arrive  at  the  same  harbor  in  which  was 
anchored  the  ship  on  which  Finn  had  been  taken 
away.  Dermot  anchored  his  boat  and  started  up  the 
broad  road. 

As  he  went  along  he  found  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren hastening  in  the  same  direction  with  all  the 
speed  at  their  command.  He  asked  several  of  them 
the  reason  for  their  hurry,  but  all  seemed  too  excited 
to  answer  him.  Finally  Dermot  grew  angry,  so  sing- 
ling out  one  man  who  seemed  to  be  in  greater  haste 
than  the  rest,  he  picked  him  up  and  held  him  off  the 
ground  while  he  repeated  his  question. 

The  man  was  greatly  frightened,  you  may  believe, 
for  Dermot  was  taller  and  broader  than  any  man  of 
the  White  Nation  and  must  have  seemed  quite  like  a 
giant  to  his  captive.  The  man  suddenly  became  very 
anxious  to  explain. 

"You  must  not  belong  to  this  country,  if  you  do  not 
know  where  we  are  going,''  he  said. 

"I  am  not  from  this  country,"  answered  Dermot. 
"I  am  from  Erin." 

"If  that  is  so,  you  must  know  Finn  MacCool,"  said 
the  man. 

"I  know  him  well.  He  is  my  chief,"  replied  Der- 
mot. 

"Then  you  had  better  tell  no  one  that  you  are  from 
Erin,"  said  the  man.  "If  you  do,  you  are  likely  to 
share  the  same  fate.   Finn  is  to  be  hanged  in  the  pal- 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  75 

ace  courtyard  today.  The  gallows  is  ready.  When  he 
is  dead,  his  body  is  to  be  pulled  to  pieces  by  wild 
horses.  You  had  better  not  acknowledge  that  you 
know  him.'^ 

Dermot  set  the  fellow  on  his  feet  again.  The  fierce 
look  in  his  eyes  caused  the  man  to  step  back. 

'Tf  you  were  not  so  small/'  thundered  Dermot, 
"you  would  never  give  such  advice  to  another  man. 
Men  from  Erin  never  fail  to  acknowledge  their 
friends.   Show  me  the  way  to  the  palace." 

"If  you  will  go  up  the  hill  on  your  right,  you  can 
see  it  in  the  valley  below,"  directed  the  man.  He  lost 
no  time  in  getting  a  safe  distance  from  this  mighty 
stranger.  He  was  so  frightened  that  instead  of  going 
on  to  the  hanging,  he  turned  around  and  made  for 
his  home  as  fast  as  he  could.  In  the  whole  White 
Nation  he  was  the  only  man  traveling  away  from  the 
palace. 

Dermot  bounded  up  the  hill  with  mighty  strides. 
When  on  top  he  looked  in  the  direction  of  the  hurry- 
ing people.  Sure  enough,  there  was  the  castle  with 
crowds  spread  out  all  around  it.  Dermot  dashed 
down  the  hill  at  full  speed. 

People  were  crowded  so  closely  together  that  no 
ordinary  man  could  possibly  have  squeezed  through 
them.  Each  man  was  elbowing  his  neighbor  so  that 
he  might  get  close  enough  to  see  the  death  of  this 
great  Fenian  chief.    Dermot  could  have  cut  his  way 


?6  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

through  with  his  sword,  but  it  was  one  of  the  rules 
of  the  Fenians  not  to  harm  the  common  people  of  a 
nation.  He  cleared  him  way  by  taking  several  in  his 
right  hand  and  several  in  his  left  and  putting  them 
behind  him.  Then  he  stepped  into  the  opening  and 
repeated  the  process  until  he  reached  the  courtyard. 
He  walked  past  the  gallows  and  up  to  the  pole  of 
combat  before  the  palace.  This  he  struck  a  mighty 
blow  with  his  sword. 

The  king  came  to  his  window  and  looked  out  in 
alarm. 

"Who  struck  that  blow?''  he  asked.  "It  must  have 
been  an  enemy.'' 

If  the  trouble  had  not  been  so  serious,  Dermot 
might  have  laughed  at  this  silly  remark.  But  he  was 
in  no  humor  for  laughter. 

"If  that  sounded  like  the  blow  of  a  friend,"  he 
said,  "Hsten  to  this." 

Once  more  he  swung  his  sword  against  the  pole. 
This  time  his  blow  was  so  strong  that  the  pole  broke 
into  splinters,  which  showered  over  the  heads  of  the 
people. 

"What  do  you  want?"  whined  the  king,  who  was, 
and  always  had  been,  a  fearful  coward. 

"I  want  to  see  my  chief,  Finn  MacCool,  or  to  fight 
for  him,"  announced  Dermot. 

"See  him  you  shall  not,"  declared  the  king,  keep- 
ing well  in  the  protection  of  his  castle."  You  are  at 
liberty  to  fight  for  him." 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  77 

''Very  well,"  answered  Dermot.  "Send  out  seven 
hundred  of  your  best  men  on  my  right  hand,  seven 
hundred  on  my  left,  seven  hundred  at  my  back  and 
as  many  as  you  wish  in  front  of  me." 

"How  many?"  demanded  the  startled  king,  draw- 
ing still  further  back  into  his  palace. 

Dermot  repeated  his  demand.  You  must  remember 
that  Dermot  was  the  son  of  a  god  and  could  not  be 
wounded.  It  is  no  wonder  the  king  thought  he  had 
misunderstood.  It  was  too  good  a  chance  to  let  go 
by.  The  king  sent  out  the  men  requested,  feeling  sure 
that  he  would  soon  be  rid  of  this  fellow,  who  had 
made  splinters  of  the  combat  pole. 

But  the  king's  men  were  no  match  for  Dermot  even 
when  they  pressed  against  him  in  such  numbers. 
By  nightfall  not  a  man  had  touched  him  while  hun- 
dreds of  the  warriors  of  the  White  Nation  were 
wounded  or  dead.  With  the  setting  of  the  sun,  Der- 
mot put  up  his  sword  and  called  out  to  the  king, 

"Do  I  get  shelter  for  the  night?" 

It  was  customary  in  those  days  to  stop  fighting 
when  the  sun  went  down.  It  was  also  the  custom  to 
furnish  food  and  a  bed  to  a  hero  who  was  making  a 
trial  at  arms.  The  king  pointed  to  a  long,  low  house 
a  short  distance  from  the  courtyard. 

"Go  in  there,"  he  called.  "You  are  welcome  to 
what  shelter  you  find." 


78  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

IV. 

Dermot  was  tired  from  his  combat.  He  went  to 
the  house,  opened  the  door  and  walked  in.  To  his 
surprise  he  found  himself  surrounded  by  hundreds  of 
little  men,  reaching  no  higher  than  his  knee.  They 
were  wild,  shaggy  little  fellows,  kept  by  the  king  to 
kill  people  he  did  not  like.  Though  not  strong  singly, 
they  were  there  in  such  numbers  that  they  could  cover 
a  man  like  ants  and  crush  the  life  out  of  him. 

When  Dermot  had  entered,  the  little  men  shut  the 
door  and  barred  it.  Then  they  began  covering  the 
windows  and  filling  up  the  chinks  between  the  logs. 

"Why  are  you  going  to  such  trouble  ?"  asked  Der- 
mot. The  antics  of  the  little  fellows  amused  him.  He 
never  thought  of  treachery  on  the  part  of  the  king. 

"We  fear  you  may  escape,''  answered  one  of  the 
men.  "It  is  our  duty  to  eat  you.'' 

Poor  foolish  little  fellows !  They  imagined  a  mighty 
hero  like  Dermot  could  creep  through  a  hole  large 
enough  to  let  one  of  them  through. 

Dermot's  amusement  turned  to  anger.  By  all  the 
laws  of  hospitality  he  was  entitled  to  a  place  to  rest 
quietly  until  time  for  the  next  day's  combat.  The 
king  would  have  lasted  only  a  few  minutes  if  Dermot 
could  have  laid  a  hand  on  him  when  he  discovered 
the  foul  scheme.  The  little  men  rushed  at  him  by  the 
hundreds.  There  was  little  use  of  using  a  sword 
against  such  small  enemies.    Dermot  caught  up  the 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  79 

nearest  by  the  ankles  and  used  him  as  a  club  to  beat 
down  the  others. 

Soon  there  were  no  little  savages  left  except  one 
very  small  fellow  in  the  corner. 

"Spare  me,  great  champion,"  he  called  in  a  shrill, 
high  voice.  "If  you  give  me  my  life  there  is  not  a 
place  to  which  you  will  go  but  I  will  be  with  you.  I 
will  be  a  good  servant  to  you." 

"No  man  ever  asked  for  his  life  but  I  granted  it," 
said  Dermot. 

He  sat  down  on  a  bench  and  looked  about  him. 
"Have  you  any  food  ?"  he  asked. 

"Nothing,"  said  the  small  chief,  for  he  was  the 
leader  of  the  small  men.  ."We  never  have  food  ex- 
cept the  people  the  king  sends  us  to  eat.  If  you  will 
go  out  and  walk  forty  paces  to  your  right,  you  will 
come  to  the  king's  bakery.  There  you  should  be  able 
to  get  some  loaves." 

Dermot  followed  directions  and  found  the  king's 
baker  just  closing  up  for  the  night. 

"Give  me  two  loaves  of  bread,"  demanded  Dermot. 

The  baker  let  out  a  scream  of  rage.  "Ruffian,"  he 
yelled.  "Do  you  dare  ask  me  for  bread  after  the  way 
you  treated  our  soldiers  today?  Get  out  of  here  this 
minute." 

The  little  man  was  dancing  with  rage.  Dermot  let 
out  a  roar  of  laughter.  He  picked  up  the  baker  and 
held  him  at  arms'  length.  "You  are  a  nimble  dancer," 
he  said.   "I  shall  give  you  a  place  to  dance." 


80  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

Opening  the  oven,  now  cool  enough  so  that  it 
would  not  injure  him,  Dermot  put  the  baker  inside 
and  shut  the  door.  He  helped  himself  to  what  bread 
he  wanted  while  the  baker  kept  up  an  excited  danc- 
ing, accompanied  by  a  steady  pounding  on  the  oven 
door. 

But  Dermot  was  not  content  to  live  on  bread 
alone.  He  asked  the  small  chief  where  he  might  get 
some  meat. 

"Instead  of  turning  to  the  right,  as  you  did  when 
you  went  to  the  bakery,  turn  to  the  left  and  go  the 
same  distance  in  that  direction.  That  will  bring  you 
to  the  king's  butcher,  where  you  should  be  able  to  get 
plenty  of  meat.'' 

Dermot  did  as  he  was  advised  and  found  the  man 
in  his  shop.  He  was  a  big,  red-faced  fellow,  smeared 
from  head  to  foot  with  the  blood  of  the  last  animal  he 
had  killed. 

'1  want  some  meat  for  my  supper,"  said  Dermot. 

The  butcher  flew  into  a  fine  rage  and  brandished 
his  knife.  "Get  out  of  here,  you  ruffian  from  Erin!" 
he  shouted.  "It  was  you  who  wounded  so  many  of 
our  people  today.  Get  away  before  I  cut  out  your 
heart." 

The  butcher  made  a  dash  at  Dermot.  The  latter 
was  merely  amused  by  the  rage  of  the  man.  He 
laughed  loudly,  took  away  the  knife  with  one  hand, 
while  with  the  other  he  caught  the  butcher  by  the 
belt  and  lifted  him  off  the  floor.   A  meat  hook  on  the 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  81 

wall  was  very  handy.  Dermot  hooked  the  belt  of  the 
butcher  over  that  and  left  him  hanging  there,  a  funny 
sight  as  he  kicked  and  yelled.  With  the  meat  Dermot 
got  from  the  shop,  and  the  bread,  he  and  the  small 
chief  had  a  hearty  supper. 

The  next  day  he  again  presented  himself  before 
the  king. 

"What  do  you  want  today?"  asked  the  ruler  of  the 
White  Nation. 

"I  want  to  see  my  chief,  Finn  MacCool,  or  to  fight 
for  him,"  said  Dermot. 

"Fight  you  shall,"  declared  the  king.  "You  shall 
not  see  him." 

Then  the  king  ordered  sent  out  double  the  number 
of  men  that  had  faced  the  champion  the  day  before. 
He  still  had  hopes  that  he  could  overpower  Dermot 
by  numbers.  But  this  battle  was  but  a  second  like  the 
one  of  the  day  before.  Dermot  could  not  be  wounded, 
while  the  slaughter  of  the  king's  soldiers  was  some- 
thing terrible.  With  the  setting  of  the  sun  the  com- 
bat was  over,  and  Dermot  went  back  to  the  long 
house  to  eat  the  supper  the  small  chief  had  prepared 
for  him,  and  to  rest  after  his  hard  day. 

V. 

Next  morning  Dermot  went  again  to  the  palace 
and  made  the  same  demand  as  on  the  two  previous 
days.   This  time  the  king  did  not  send  out  his  forces 


82  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

to  battle.  Even  he  could  see  that  he  was  wasting  his 
soldiers  without  hope  of  defeating  this  new  champion. 
Still  he  did  not  wish  to  give  up  Finn  MacCool.  His 
soldiers  were  not  strong  enough,  the  small  men  could 
not  eat  this  man,  but  the  king  had  other  schemes  to 
try  before  he  gave  up.  Everyone  knew  the  fondness 
of  the  Fenians  for  attempting  feats  of  strength  or  ad- 
venture. The  king  decided  to  try  that  on  Dermot, 
so  that  he  could  gain  time,  even  if  he  did  not  get  rid 
of  this  nuisance. 

In  the  land  of  the  White  Nation  there  lived  an 
enormous  fellow  known  as  the  Red  Giant.  His  choic- 
est possession  was  a  beautiful  hound,  which  he  kept 
near  him  at  all  times.  When  he  went  out  walking,  he 
had  the  dog  with  him  on  the  end  of  a  chain  of  solid 
gold.  When  he  was  at  home  he  fastened  the  chain  to 
the  wall  and  kept  the  dog  beside  him. 

There  was  a  strange  thing  about  this  Red  Giant. 
He  had  only  one  eye  and  that  was  in  one  side  of  his 
head,  just  above  his  ear.  Because  of  this,  he  could 
see  only  what  happened  on  one  side  of  him.  He  kept 
the  hound  to  warn  him  if  anyone  approached  on  the 
other  side. 

Though  this  man  was  the  strongest  person  in  the 
White  Nation,  he  had  no  use  for  the  king  and  would 
not  serve  him.  The  monarch  resolved  to  get  his  aid 
by  trickery. 

'T  will  not  let  you  see  Finn  MacCool,"  he  told  Der- 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  83 

mot,  "until  you  have  brought  to  this  courtyard  the 
hound  and  the  golden  chain/' 

"Where  can  I  find  it?"  asked  Dermot. 

"The  world  is  wide/'  answered  the  king.  Finding 
it  is  part  of  the  task." 

"No  man  can  give  me  a  task  I  will  not  try  to  ac- 
complish," said  Dermot.  "There  is  but  one  thing  I 
demand.  If  I  go  after  this  hound,  you  must  pledge 
yourself  that  Finn  is  to  be  taken  out  of  the  dungeon 
and  given  a  better  room,  with  plenty  of  food  to  eat." 

This  request  did  not  please  the  king.  He  did  not 
wish  to  grant  Finn  any  favors,  but  he  was  afraid 
Dermot  would  not  go  to  the  Red  Giant  if  he  did  not 
agree.   He  gave  a  grudging  consent. 

Poor  Dermot!  He  went  to  the  long  house  in  de- 
spair. How  was  he  to  bring  back  something  when  he 
did  not  know  where  to  look  for  it,  and  when  there 
was  no  one  in  the  country  to  give  him  directions? 
Yet,  if  he  did  not  complete  the  task,  he  would  lose  his 
head  and  Finn  would  have  to  die.  He  sat  down  in 
the  long  house  and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands. 

"What  is  troubling  you,  master?"  asked  the  small 
chief. 

Dermot  sighed.  "Nothing  that  you  can  help  me 
with,"  he  said. 

"ril  wager  that  you  have  been  sent  to  bring  the 
hound  and  the  golden  chain,"  said  the  chief. 

Dermot  sat  up  in  surprise.  "How  did  you  know 
that?"  he  demanded. 


84  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"Because  the  hound  is  kept  by  the  Red  Giant,  and 
the  king  has  rid  himself  of  many  a  good  man  by  send- 
ing him  after  that  hound/'  said  the  Httle  fellow. 

"Do  you  know  where  I  can  find  him?"  asked 
Dermot. 

"I  can  lead  you  to  the  place  and  show  you  how  to 
get  the  hound/'  declared  the  chief. 

The  two  set  out  immediately  and  traveled  all  day 
through  a  heavy  forest.  In  the  evening  they  came  to 
the  gate  of  an  immense  stone  castle.  There  the  chief 
stopped  Dermot. 

"In  there  lives  the  Red  Giant/'  he  said.  "At  this 
hour  he  has  had  his  meal  and  is  sleeping  beside  the 
table  in  the  center  of  the  castle." 

Then  the  chief  went  on  to  explain  that  the  giant 
had  but  one  eye,  which  faced  the  main  door  to  see  if 
anyone  entered.  He  took  from  his  pocket  a  little  cake 
and  passed  it  to  Dermot. 

"Take  this  cake,"  he  said.  "Do  not  go  in  at  the 
main  door  but  follow  the  corridor  around  and  come 
to  the  small  opening  at  the  other  side  of  the  room. 
Throw  this  cake  to  the  dog,  and  when  he  has  eaten 
it  pick  him  up  and  bring  him  with  you.  If  you  are 
quiet  the  giant  will  never  know  you  have  been  in 
there." 

Dermot  thanked  his  helper  and  went  into  the  castle. 
Everything  happened  just  as  the  small  chief  had 
promised.   The  task  was  so  easy  that  he  was  back  in 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  85 

five  minutes  with  the  hound  under  his  arm.  The  two 
set  off  for  the  palace  with  their  prize. 

But  Dermot  was  not  happy.  He  kept  going  slowly 
and  more  slowly,  until  finally  he  stopped  all  together. 

"What  is  the  matter?''  asked  the  chief. 

"I  can't  help  thinking  of  the  dirty  trick  I  played  on 
the  Red  Giant,"  answered  Dermot. 

"How  is  that?" 

"Like  a  thief  I  took  away  his  hound  without  giv- 
ing him  a  chance  to  fight  for  it,"  said  Dermot. 

"It  was  the  hound  you  went  for,  not  a  contest,  and 
bringing  him  back  will  give  you  sight  of  Finn  Mac- 
Cool,"  argued  the  chief.   "Let  us  hurry." 

But  Dermot  would  not  go.  "I'd  think  a  man  a  fine 
champion  if  he  sneaked  in  and  took  something  of 
mine,"  he  said.  "Not  even  for  Finn  will  I  do  such  a 
thing.  I  am  going  back  and  take  the  hound  away 
from  the  giant  as  a  champion  should." 

No  argument  of  the  small  chief  did  any  good.  Back 
they  went  to  the  castle  and  again  the  small  chief 
stayed  outside. 

"Since  you  are  bent  on  being  foolish,  I  will  give 
you  some  more  advice,"  said  the  little  fellow.  "The 
giant  is  strongest  on  his  stone  floor.  Much  of  his 
strength  leaves  him  when  he  is  on  soft  earth." 

"I  thank  you  for  your  help,"  said. Dermot. 

He  slipped  in  quietly  and  fastened  the  hound  to 
the  wall.  Then  he  went  around  to  the  main  door  and 


86  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

stepped  into  the  room.  Instantly  the  giant  saw  him 
and  sprang  to  his  feet. 

"What  do  you  want?"  he  roared. 

''Your  hound  and  your  golden  chain/'  answered 
Dermot. 

"Well,  you'll  not  get  him  from  me/'  roared  the 
giant.  He  made  a  rush  at  Dermot  and  grappled  with 
him. 

Now  the  Red  Giant  was  a  big  man  in  the  White 
Nation,  but  you  must  remember  that  Dermot  was  a 
big  man,  too.  It  turned  out  that  they  were  about 
equal  in  strength*  At  the  first  rush  of  the  giant,  both 
men  went  down  on  the  floor  where  they  struggled 
desperately.  Back  and  forth  they  rolled,  with  Der- 
mot putting  every  bit  of  his  strength  into  the  effort 
to  get  them .  out  on  the  ground.  Finally,  with  a 
mighty  heave,  he  succeeded  in  causing  them  both  to 
roll  out  of  the  castle  door. 

As  soon  as  they  struck  the  soft  earth  Dermot  was 
the  stronger.  He  picked  up  the  Red  Giant  and  drove 
him  into  the  earth  like  a  post,  until  only  his  head  was 
above  ground. 

"Spare  me,  man  of  Erin,"  pleaded  the  Red  Giant. 
"I  concede  that  you  are  the  better  man,  and  that  you 
are  entitled  to  the  hound." 

Dermot  never  took  advantage  of  a  man  who  asked 
for  mercy.  He  pulled  the  giant  out  of  the  earth  and 
set  him  upon  his  feet.    From  that  moment  the  Red 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  87 

Giant  was  his  friend.  He  invited  Dermot  and  the 
small  chief  into  the  castle  and  set  out  food  and  drink 
for  them.  In  the  morning  he  willingly  gave  up  the 
hound  and  bade  them  a  hearty  farewell. 

VI. 

Dermot  went  before  the  king  the  next  morning. 
You  can  guess  that  the  monarch  was  far  from  over- 
joyed at  seeing  him.  He  had  felt  sure  that  the  troub- 
lesome champion  would  never  bother  him  again. 

"Well,  have  you  the  hound  with  the  golden  chain?" 
he  asked,  trying  to  hide  his  disappointment. 

''You  see  them  before  you,"  answered  Dermot. 

"Hand  them  over  to  me,"  demanded  the  king. 

That  was  just  what  Dermot  had  no  intention  of 
doing.  He  felt  sorry  for  the  Red  Giant,  because  the 
man  had  put  up  a  good  fight  and  had  been  his  friend 
after  the  struggle  was  over.  Moreover,  he  felt  that 
the  king  had  no  right  to  the  hound. 

"That  I  will  not  do,"  declared  Dermot. 

The  king's  wicked  little  eyes  lit  up  with  pleasure. 
"Then,  by  the  terms  of  the  trial,  you  forfeit  your 
head,"  he  said. 

"You  are  wrong,"  said  Dermot.  "The  words  of 
the  trial  were,  'until  you  have  brought  to  the  court- 
yard the  hound  with  the  golden  chain.'  I  have  car- 
ried out  the  command  of  the  trial ;  now  I  am  going  to 


88  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

take  the  hound  back  to  the  Red  Giant,  who  has  more 
right  and  more  need  of  him  than  any  of  us." 

The  king  knew  he  was  caught  by  the  terms  of  his 
own  sentence.  He  pounded  the  arms  of  his  throne  in 
anger,  but  he  did  not  dare  deny  the  terms  he  had  pro- 
nounced. 

"WelV  demanded  Dermot,  "do  I  get  to  see  my 
chief,  Finn  MacCool?'' 

"You  do  not,''  answered  the  king.  "I  did  not  say 
that  bringing  the  hound  was  the  only  trial  you  would 
have  to  accomplish.  You  shall  not  see  your  chief 
until  you  bring  me  the  true  story  of  the  Sorrowful 
Knight.'' 

Dermot  was  willing  to  try  another  test.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  king  was  honest  in  saying  he  meant  to 
have  two  trials  before  releasing  Finn. 

"Where  can  I  find  this  man?"  he  asked. 

"That  is  for  you  to  find  out,"  said  the  king. 

Dermot  left  the  palace  and  went  to  the  long  house. 
Once  more  he  felt  discouraged,  but  once  more  the 
small  chief  came  to  his  aid. 

"I'll  wager  you  have  been  sent  to  get  the  story  of 
the  Sorrowful  Knight,"  he  said. 

"How  did  you  guess  it  ?"  asked  Dermot. 

"Because  that  is  the  most  dangerous  task  the  king 
could  possibly  think  of.  The  quest  will  lead  you  into 
the  land  of  enchantment.  No  one  has  ever  heard  the 
story,  and  few  have  ever  reached  the  castle." 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  89 

"Nevertheless  I  must  go,"  said  Dermot.  "All  I 
need  is  some  one  to  show  me  the  way/' 

"I  can  do  that  easily,"  answered  the  little  fellow. 

Dermot  looked  at  him  in  admiration.  "I  shall  never 
cease  to  be  thankful  that  I  spared  your  life,"  he  said. 
"We  shall  start  immediately,  and  on  the  way  we 
shall  leave  with  the  Red  Giant  his  hound  and  golden 
chain." 

VII. 

The  Red  Giant  greeted  them  warmly.  Never  be- 
fore had  he  met  a  man  who  was  stronger  than  he, 
so  that  made  him  respect  Dermot ;  but  he  respected 
him  still  more  for  his  honesty,  when  he  found  that  the 
hound  was  to  be  returned  to  him. 

"Are  you  on  another  quest,  or  have  you  rescued 
your  chief?"  asked  the  giant. 

"I  am  on  a  most  difficult  errand,"  explained  Der- 
mot. "I  must  get  the  story  of  the  Sorrowful  Knight 
before  I  may  see  Finn  MacCool." 

The  Red  Giant  slapped  his  knee  a  resounding 
whack. 

"You  are  right,"  he  said.  "It  is  difficuh!  It  would 
be  impossible  but  for  the  fact  that  you  have  been  fair 
with  me.  I  once  did  a  service  for  the  Sorrowful 
Knight.  He  swore  that  nothing  I  should  ever  ask  him 
would  be  refused.  Tomorrow  I  shall  go  with  you, 
and  my  request  shall  be  in  your  interest." 


90  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

You  may  be  sure  that  Dermot  was  glad  he  had  not 
taken  a  thief's  advantage  of  the  giant  when  he  had 
had  the  opportunity.  That  night,  with  the  small 
chief,  he  and  the  Red  Giant  spent  the  time  eating, 
drinking  and  telling  stories. 

The  journey  to  the  land  of  the  Sorrowful  Knight, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Red  Giant,  was  a  short 
one.  They  found  the  castle  set  deep  in  a  thick  wood. 
No  sound  came  from  it.  The  branches  of  the  trees 
drooped  in  sadness.  Even  the  cattle  grazing  in  the 
field  seemed  to  crop  the  grass  mournfully. 

The  guard  at  the  gate  wiped  the  tears  from  his 
eyes  before  he  asked  them  the  nature  of  their  errand. 
When  he  learned  that  they  wished  to  see  the  Sorrow- 
ful Knight,  he  led  them  through  a  quiet  courtyard 
into  a  dark  and  dismal  chamber  in  the  heart  of  the 
castle. 

At  first  Dermot  could  see  nothing.  When  his  eyes 
became  accustomed  to  the  darkness,  he  saw  that  the 
room  was  draped  in  black,  and  that  the  furniture  was 
the  color  of  night.  At  the  table  in  the  center  of  the 
room  sat  a  man,  his  head  leaning  on  his  hand,  his 
elbow  on  the  table.  He  appeared  to  be  asleep,  nor  did 
he  awaken  when  the  three  entered  the  room.  He 
must  have  been  at  the  table  a  long  time.  Where  his 
elbow  rested  upon  it,  a  deep  groove  had  been  worn, 
and  into  it,  even  in  his  sleep,  the  tears  dropped 
steadily. 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  91 

The  Red  Giant  took  him  by  the  shoulder  and  spoke 
to  him.     The  man  straightened  up  slowly. 

"Why  do  you  come  here  to  interrupt  my  griev- 
ing?" he  asked. 

"You  promised  many  years  ago  that  you  would 
grant  any  request  I  would  make,"  said  the  Red  Giant. 
"I  have  come  to  test  your  promise." 

The  Sorrowful  Knight  sighed  heavily.  "What  is 
your  request?"  he  asked. 

"You  are  to  tell  to  Dermot  of  the  Fenians  the  rea- 
son for  your  sorrow,"  said  the  giant. 

Once  more  the  knight  sighed,  and  the  tears  flowed 
more  freely  down  his  cheeks. 

"I  feared  your  request  would  be  that,"  he  said. 
"Since  I  promised  you  on  my  honor,  I  must  tell  the 
story,  but  no  other  living  man  has  heard  it." 

The  Sorrowful  Knight  had  dinner  served  for  his 
guests  with  a  flickering  candle  for  light.  Most  peo- 
ple would  have  had  a  small  appetite  in  such  gloomy 
surroundings,  but  Dermot  and  his  friends  were  hun- 
gry enough  to  forget  about  it.  They  did  full  jus- 
tice to  the  meal.  When  each  had  satisfied  his  hun- 
ger the  knight  began: 

"It  was  twenty-one  years  ago  that  the  sorrow 
came  to  me.  I  lived  in  this  castle  as  happily  as  any 
man  of  the  kingdom.  Anyone  would  have  been 
proud  of  the  twelve  handsome  young  men  I  called 
my  sons.    Every  place  I  went  my  boys  were  with  me. 


92  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"On  the  morning  of  the  first  of  May  it  was  our 
custom  to  hunt  the  deer  together.  Of  course,  we 
hunted  on  many  days  of  the  spring,  but  the  May 
day  was  always  our  first  deer  hunt.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  which  I  speak  we  started  up  a  deer  without 
horns  and  gave  chase. 

"It  was  a  fleeter  animal  than  any  we  had  ever 
followed  before.  All  day  long  we  kept  after  her 
until  toward  evening  we  saw  her  disappear  into  a 
cave.  We  thought  we  had  her  trapped  and  followed 
swiftly.  Imagine  our  surprise  when  we  found  our- 
selves not  in  a  cave  at  all,  but  in  a  new  country,  at 
the  gate  of  a  large  castle. 

"The  deer  was  nowhere  in  sight.  We  were  too 
far  from  home  to  return  that  night,  so  we  decided 
to  ask  for  shelter  from  the  lord  of  the  castle.  This 
was  readily  granted. 

"We  were  taken  into  a  big  banquet  hall.  Along 
one  side  of  the  room,  over  huge  fires,  were  twelve 
kettles  of  scalding  water.  In  front  of  each  kettle 
was  the  carcass  of  a  wild  boar.  The  master  of  the 
castle  apologized  for  not  having  supper  cooked  anc| 
asked  if  any  of  us  could  prepare  the  boars  for  roast- 
ing.    We  said  we  could  and  set  to  work. 

"But,  though  we  dipped  the  animals  in  the  scald- 
ing water,  we  could  not  remove  a  single  bristle.  The 
scalding  seemed  to  make  them  stick  more  tightly. 
We  could  do  nothing  toward  preparing  the  meat 
for  supper. 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  93 

"Then  the  master  called  in  a  small  servant  and 
told  him  to  get  the  animals  ready.  This  man  lined 
up  the  twelve  boars,  blew  upon  them  through  a  small 
tube,  and  instantly  every  bristle  disappeared.  I  knew 
then  that  we  were  in  the  land  of  enchantment. 

"We  had  all  that  we  could  eat,  and  after  the  meal 
the  lord  of  the  castle  asked  me  if  my  sons  would  be 
willing  to  show  their  strength  for  our  amusement. 
I  told  him  they  would.  He  ordered  in  twelve  small 
men  with  a  long  chain  and  bade  my  sons  pull  it 
away  from  them.  This  seemed  like  an  easy  task. 
But  when  my  sons  took  hold  of  the  chain  they  could 
not  move  the  small  men  an  inch.  Soon  the  small 
men  pulled  my  sons  toward  them  with  a  quick  jerk 
and  threw  the  slackened  pa:rt  about  the  necks  of  my 
boys.  The  instant  the  chain  touched  my  sons  they 
became  twelve  stones." 

At  this  point  the  tears  of  the  Sorrowful  Knight 
stopped  his  words.  His  listeners  had  to  wait  until 
he  had  mastered  his  grief  before  he  could  go  on. 

"When  I  saw  my  twelve  noble  sons  thus  changed 
before  my  eyes,  I  was  filled  with  the  great  grief  which 
has  never  left  me.  The  lord  of  the  castle  had  me 
thrown  out  into  the  night,  and  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  I  found  my  way  back  to  my  home.  Since  then 
I  never  have  left  my  castle. 

"Each  year,  on  May  day,  the  deer  comes  to  the 
gate  and  calls,  'Here  is  the  deer,  but  where  are  the 


94  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

hunters  to  follow  it  ?'  Tomorrow  she  will  come  again, 
but  no  one  here  has  heart  for  the  chase. 

"That,  then,  is  my  story.  I  ask  you  if  any  man 
could  be  happy  with  such  a  sorrow  in  his  life?" 

Dermot  had  listened  with  rising  pity  that  soon 
turned  into  anger.     He  rose  abruptly  to  his  feet. 

"I  have  but  been  sent  to  get  your  story,  but  no 
true  Fenian  is  willing  to  let  wickedness  go  unpun- 
ished. If  you  will  go  Vv^ith  me,  there  will  be  men 
to  follow  the  deer  tomorrow,  and  the  sun  shall  not 
set  before  I  have  tried  my  strength  against  the  en- 
chantment of  the  lord  of  that  castle. 

For  the  first  time  in  twenty-one  years  the  Sor- 
rowful Knight  no  longer  wept.  He  announced  that 
he  would  go  the  next  morning.  The  small  chief  and 
the  Red  Giant  also  promised  to  take  part  in  the 
chase  of  the  deer. 

In  the  morning  the  deer  came  to  the  gate  and 
called  as  was  her  custom,  "Here  is  the  deer,  but 
where  are  the  hunters  to  follow  it?" 

The  four  men  had  been  waiting  and  now  they  set 
after  her  at  full  speed.  All  day  long  they  followed 
her,  and  in  the  evening  she  approached  a  cave  in 
the  hillside. 

"That  is  where  she  will  disappear!"  shouted  the 
knight. 

Dermot  sped  after  her.  Now,  as  you  know,  there 
was  no  one  in  Erin  who  could  equal  him  in  a  race. 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  95 

He  rapidly  caught  up  with  the  deer  and  seized  her 
by  the  hind  leg,  just  as  she  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
cave.  Instantly  the  deer  disappeared,  and  in  her 
place  was  a  hideous  old  witch,  with  straggly  gray 
hair  and  long  crooked  teeth.  Dermot  was  so  start- 
led that  he  let  go  his  hold.  The  witch  ran  scream- 
ing into  the  cave. 

The  men  followed  and  came  out  at  the  gate  of 
the  castle  just  as  the  knight  had  done  years  before. 
When  they  knocked  for  admission,  they  were  met 
by  the  master,  who  seemed  greatly  surprised  to  see 
the  Sorrowful  Knight. 

"I  thought  you  had  enough  of  this  place  when  you 
were  here  before,"  he  said.. 

Dermot  did  the  answering.  "He  comes  with  me," 
he  said.  'T  could  not  have  enough  of  your  castle, 
because  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  ever  been  here." 

The  master  invited  them  into  the  room  where  wait- 
ed the  twelve  kettles  of  water  and  the  twelve  boars. 

"Have  you  a  man  among  you  who  can  prepare  the 
supper?"  asked  the  master. 

"We  have,"  said  Dermot.  "And  it  is  a  long  time 
since  you  had  one  as  good.  We  have  also  a  man 
who  will  get  the  meat." 

Dermot  went  out  into  the  forest  and  brought  in 
enough  meat  for  the  meal.  He  knew  better  than  to 
try  to  prepare  the  enchanted  boars.  The  ones  he 
had  killed,  he  dressed  with  his  sword  and  soon  had 


96  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

them  cooked.  The  master  made  no  comments,  but 
ate  with  the  others. 

When  the  meal  was  over  the  lord  of  the  castle 
addressed  the  knight. 

"Have  you  a  man  among  you  who  can  show  us 
a  little  action  for  our  amusement?'' 

Once  more  Dermot  did  the  answering.  "He  has. 
Send  in  the  same  twelve  small  men  you  used  against 
his  sons  and  we  will  show  you  enough  action  to 
satisfy  you." 

The  small  men  brought  in  the  chain  and  passed 
one  end  to  Dermot,  who  braced  his  feet  against  the 
rocks  on  the  floor.  The  small  men  pulled  as  hard 
as  they  could,  but  not  a  link  of  slack  chain  could 
they  get.  All  at  once  Dermot  jerked  them  toward 
him,  looped  the  chain  over  their  necks  and  snapped 
off  the  twelve  heads. 

He  then  held  out  the  end  of  the  chain  to  the  mas- 
ter and  said,  "Perhaps  you  would  like  to  show  us  a 
little  action  yourself?" 

The  lord  of  the  castle  was  seized  with  a  fit  of 
trembling  at  the  thought  of  pulling  against  this  ter- 
rible Fenian.  He  dropped  to  his  knees  and  began 
to  beg  for  his  life. 

"Spare  me,  and  I  will  bring  back  the  knight's 
twelve  sons,"  he  cried. 

"That  is  all  I  could  ask  of  you,"  said  Dermot. 

The  frightened  enchanter  took  his  rod  and  touched 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  97 

each  of  the  twelve  blocks  of  stone  along  the  wall. 
Instantly  the  twelve  sons  of  the  knight  were  with 
them,  as  strong  and  hearty  as  ever. 

You  can  imagine  how  the  father  felt  over  this 
change.     He  was  no  longer  the  Sorrowful  Knight. 

They  wasted  no  time  in  leaving  the  enchanter's 
palace  and  in  returning  to  the  castle  of  the  man  who 
was  now  the  Glad  Knight.  From  there  Dermot  and 
his  friends  went  on  to  the  home  of  the  Red  Giant, 
and  then  on  to  the  king  of  the  White  Nation.  Der- 
mot was  happy  in  being  able  to  rescue  the  twelve 
young  men,  but  he  was  far  happier  in  the  thought 
that  he  was  now  to  see  Finn  MacCool. 

IX 

On  his  return  Dermot  presented  himself  at  the 
palace.  Though  the  wicked  old  king  was  surprised 
to  see  him  again,  he  endeavored  not  to  show  it. 

''Well,  have  you  the  story  of  the  Sorrowful 
Knight?''  he  asked. 

"I  have,"  said  Dermot.  "Are  you  ready  to 
hear  it?" 

Then  he  told  the  king  the  story,  just  as  it  had 
been  told  to  him.  I  don't  believe  that  he  mentioned 
the  rescue  of  the  twelve  sons,  because  that  was  not 
in  his  sentence,  and  he  was  anxious  to  be  through 
with  the  task  and  rescue  Finn.  At  the  end  of  the 
story  he  said: 


98  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"Now  I  have  done  what  you  asked.  Do  I  get  to 
see  my  chief?'' 

"You  do  not,"  answered  the  king.  "You  shall  not 
see  him  until  you  get  me  the  story  of  the  Lad  of 
True  Tales.'' 

Dermot's  anger  flamed  up.  For  the  first  time  he 
saw  that  the  king  was  not  honest  in  his  sentences, 
and  that  he  was  merely  setting  tasks  to  put  him  off, 
until  he  could  find  something  that  would  do  away 
with  him  forever. 

"Oh,  is  that  so?"  he  asked.  "You  should  have 
spoken  about  it  sooner.  I  have  worn  out  all  the 
leather  I  am  going  to  use,  tramping  over  the  rocks 
of  your  country.  I  am  going  to  let  you  find  out  how 
sharp  some  of  those  stones  are." 

He  picked  up  the  treacherous  king  and  tossed  him 
out  of  the  upper  window  of  the  palace  to  the  rocks 
below.  The  king  of  the  White  Nation  would  never 
set  another  task  for  any  man. 

Then  Dermot  searched  high  and  low  for  Finn. 
Everyone  got  out  of  his  way,  but  still  he  could  not 
find  his  chief.  When  he  was  almost  in  despair,  he 
met  an  old  woman. 

"I  will  lead  you  to  Finn,"  she  said.  "It  is  I  who 
have  been  caring  for  him." 

She  did  as  she  promised.  Dermot  was  so  happy 
on  seeing  Finn  that  he  wanted  to  embrace  him.  Finn 
pushed  him  away. 


DERMOT  RESCUES  FINN  99 

Dermot's  feelings  were  hurt.  "If  any  man  had 
gone  through  what  I  have  to  rescue  me,  I  would  not 
seem  ungrateful/'  he  said. 

"It  is  not  ingratitude,"  said  Finn.  "My  thumb 
tells  me  that  we  have  little  time  to  lose.  The  king's 
daughter  has  gone  off  to  enchant  another  victim. 
We  must  get  away  while  she  is  gone.'' 

The  two  friends  hastened  to  the  shore,  taking  what 
food  they  could  on  the  way.  Then,  they  raised  the 
sails  and  pointed  the  boat  toward  Erin.  Finn  placed 
Dermot  in  the  stern  to  watch,  while  he  managed  the 
boat.  Every  few  minutes  he  would  say,  "Do  you 
see  anything?"  Dermot  would  answer,  "I  see  noth- 
ing but  waves  and  sky." 

They  were  nearing  the  shores  of  Erin  when  Finn 
asked  the  question  again. 

"I  see  a  bird  that  looks  like  an  eagle,"  said  Dermot. 

"Then  we  are  lost,"  cried  Finn.  "She  is  following." 

"Is  there  no  way  to  release  you?"  asked  Dermot. 

"There  is,"  answered  Finn,  "but  I  am  in  honor 
bound  not  to  tell  you  of  it." 

The  boat  sped  swiftly  on,  with  the  bird  ever  gain- 
ing. When  near  the  land,  the  two  champions  sprang 
ashore,  just  as  the  bird  turned  the  boat  over  and 
perched  upon  the  hull.  She  saw  them  on  the  land 
and  flew  after  them.  The  instant  she  struck  the 
earth  she  became  a  woman.  Rushing  up  to  Finn 
she  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck. 


100  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"Come  back  with  me  and  be  my  husband,"  she 
begged.  "You  shall  be  the  king  of  the  White  Nation." 

It  made  Dermot  angry  to  see  the  actions  of  the 
woman  who  had  caused  them  both  so  much  trouble. 
He  swung  his  sword  against  the  hillside  in  anger. 
So  great  was  the  blow  that  a  valley  appeared  where 
the  sword  struck.  A  great  shower  of  dirt,  far  more 
than  the  seven  shovelfuls,  fell  over  Finn  and  the 
woman. 

Finn  put  the  enchantress  from  him.  "I  thank  you, 
Dermot,"  he  said.  "You  have  released  me  from 
her  bonds." 

The  woman  gave  a  cry  of  rage,  became  an  eagle 
once  more  and  flew  out  over  the  ocean.  Finn  and 
Dermot  hastened  to  join  the  Fenians. 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  lUl 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT 

One  day  Finn  and  his  companions,  while  out  hunt- 
ing, had  stopped  to  cook  some  of  the  game.  Dermot, 
Conan  and  several  other  Fenians  were  in  the  party. 
The  horses  had  been  put  into  an  inclosure  so  that 
they  might  feed  while  the  men  rested.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  meal  that  the  guard,  who  had  been  put  upon 
a  nearby  hill  to  watch  for  the  approach  of  an  enemy, 
came  rushing  up  with  the  news  that  a  great  giant 
was  coming  toward  them  from  the  south.  The  man 
had  hardly  time  to  tell  the  news  when  the  giant,  him- 
self, appeared. 

He  was  tall  and  ungainly,  with  joints  that  bent 
outward  at  each  step,  as  though  they  had  been  fas- 
tened together  with  strings.  He  was  dressed  in  the 
skins  of  animals,  with  the  hairy  side  out.  Covering 
his  face  was  a  growth  of  the  same  colored  hair,  so 
it  was  difficult  to  tell  where  the  garments  left  off 
and  the  skin  began. 

His  face  seemed  formed  no  more  firmly  than  his 
body.  His  jaw  hung  loosely,  showing  a  ragged  set 
of  huge  teeth.  One  eye  was  higher  than  the  other. 
His  nose  was  as  rough  as  a  ridge  of  hills.  In  one 
hand  he  held  a  huge  club,  the  end  of  which  cut  deep 


102  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

furrows  in  the  earth  as  he  dragged  it  along.  From 
the  other  hand  was  a  leading  thong  attached  to  the 
halter  of  a  horse. 

This  animal  was  no  better  favored  than  the  mas- 
ter. Its  joints  seemed  just  as  loosely  hung  together. 
Its  coat  was  the  color  of  the  soot  from  a  chimney. 
Its  backbone  was  like  a  knotted  clothesline  with  a 
black  rug  hung  over  it.  When  the  animal  walked, 
its  legs  bent  outward  at  the  center,  while  its  scrag- 
gly  tail  and  many  cornered  head  swayed  from  side 
to  side  in  opposite  directions. 

When  the  giant  saw  the  Fenians  he  dropped  the 
thong  and  approached  by  himself.  The  animal  let 
its  head  drop  dejectedly,  and  its  legs  bowed  outward 
like  the  hoops  of  a  barrel.  It  seemed  about  to  fall 
to  pieces. 

'1  am  looking  for  Finn  MacCooV  growled  the 
giant. 

Finn  rose  and  came  toward  him.  '1  am  he  whom 
you  seek,''  he  said. 

'1  have  come  to  take  service  with  you,''  said  the 
giant. 

"If  you  need  work,  go  prop  up  your  horse,"  shout- 
ed Conan.     The  Fenians  laughed  loudly. 

*T  do  not  like  the  behavior  of  your  men,"  said  the 
giant,  "yet  do  I  still  seek  service.  I  have  heard  that 
you  are  a  good  master,  and  that  you  will  pay  a  man 
whatever  he  asks." 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  103 

"I  have  never  refused  service  to  any  man  who 
asked  it,  nor  have  I  ever  refused  to  give  a  servant 
any  reasonable  wage  requested/'  said  Finn. 

"Then  I  would  serve  you/'  declared  the  giant.  "I 
am  known  as  the  Worthless  Servant  because  I  never 
give  my  master  what  he  pays  for.  I  always  fail  to 
do  any  task  he  sets  me,  and  what  I  do  is  never  done 
well.  Moreover,  I  eat  more  than  any  two  men  and 
grumble  unceasingly  about  the  way  I  am  treated.'' 

"You  give  yourself  a  bad  name,"  said  Finn  with 
a  laugh.  "Nevertheless,  you  have  asked  for  service, 
so  I  shall  give  it  to  you." 

"Then  may  I  turn  my  horse  into  the  pasture  with 
the  others?"  asked  the  giant. 

Finn  gave  his  permission  and  went  back  to  his 
meal.  The  giant  opened  the  gate  of  the  inclosure, 
took  off  the  halter  and  let  the  animal  loose.  That 
done,  he  came  over  to  the  table  and  proceeded  to 
eat  everything  within  reach. 

The  decrepit  old  horse  changed  entirely  when  its 
master  left  it.  No  longer  was  it  mild  and  sleepy. 
It  kicked  its  heels  high  in  the  air,  let  out  a  snort 
and  proceeded  to  bite  and  kick  every  animal  it  could 
reach.  These  other  horses  could  make  no  stand 
against  the  newcomer,  nor  could  they  seem  to  get 
away  from  it.  At  last  the  giant's  horse  had  injured 
all  the  animals  except  the  one  belonging  to  Conan. 
It  was  viciously  pursuing  this  one. 


104  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"Look  here/'  roared  Conan.  "Go  tie  up  that  ugly 
brute  before  it  injures  my  horse." 

The  giant  kept  on  eating.  "There's  the  halter/' 
he  said  between  bites.  "If  you  do  not  like  the  way 
he  acts,  go  tie  him  yourself." 

Conan  needed  no  second  invitation.  He  ran  into 
the  pasture  and  put  the  halter  on  the  great  beast. 
As  soon  as  it  was  caught,  the  animal  resumed  its 
dejected  pose.  Conan  pulled  and  pulled  with  all  his 
might,  but  he  exerted  himself  without  result.  The 
horse  would  not  move.  The  other  Fenians  gathered 
around  and  offered  much  advice  and  many  taunts. 

"Shame  on  you,  Conan,"  cried  one.  "A  Fenian 
and  unable  to  lead  one  little  horse!" 

"Take  him  by  the  tail,"  shouted  another.  "Per- 
haps it  travels  the  other  way." 

"Better  practice  on  a  sheep  until  you  grow  up," 
came  from  a  third. 

Conan  lost  his  temper.  He  began  abusing  the  men 
who  were  joking  him,  saying  all  the  cutting  things 
he  could  think  of.  His  anger  extended  to  the  horse. 
He  began  beating  it  with  a  heavy  club.  Still  the 
animal  stood  looking  dejectedly  at  the  ground  and 
giving  no  sign  that  it  felt  the  blows. 

Fergus  True  Lips,  the  poet  of  the  Fenians,  now 
gave  some  advice. 

"Many  a  horse  will  not  go  when  pulled  by  the  hal- 
ter," he  said.     "Try  riding  him." 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  105 

Conan  sprang  to  the  back  of  the  horse  and  again 
tried  to  get  it  to  move.  This  method  proved  no  bet- 
ter than  the  other.  Again  Fergus  made  a  suggestion. 

"He  is  used  to  the  weight  of  a  heavier  man  than 
you.  Let  more  Fenians  get  upon  his  back  until  the 
combined  weight  shall  equal  that  of  the  giant." 

This  advice  the  Fenians  were  glad  to  follow.  One 
after  another  climbed  up  until  fourteen  were  astride 
that  sharp  backbone.  Still  the  animal  would  not  move. 

The  Fenians  were  enjoying  the  sport.  Those  on 
the  back  of  the  animal  called  out  jibes  to  those  on 
the  ground,  while  these  made  jokes  at  the  expense 
of  the  mounted  ones. 

In  the  meantime  the  giant  had  finished  eating  all 
the  food  on  the  table.  He  now  approached  Finn  in 
great  anger. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  the  stories  I  have  heard  of 
your  justice  were  all  false/'  he  growled. 

"What  makes  you  think  so?''  asked  Finn. 

"You  stand  by  and  see  your  men  abusing  my  horse, 
yet  you  do  nothing  to  stop  them,"  he  complained. 

"I  am  sure  they  but  keep  your  horse  from  injur- 
ing their  own  animals,"  said  Finn. 

"I  am  through  with  your  service,"  declared  the 
giant.  "If  I  had  never  come  at  all,  still  would  I 
have  been  here  too  long.  Give  me  my  wages  and 
let  me  go." 

"What  wages  can  you  expect  when  you  have  just 


106  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

come?"  asked  Finn.     "All  you  have  done  is  to  eat 
a  meal  at  my  expense." 

"Again  I  see  that  the  stories  told  of  you  are  not 
true,"  said  the  giant.  "You  promised  to  give  me 
what  wages  I  asked  and  now  you  refuse." 

"You  have  asked  no  wages,"  cried  Finn,  becom- 
ing angry  at  the  unreasonable  request.  "You  but 
trifle  with  me  when  you  ask  pay  for  eating  my  food." 

"Since  I  can  get  no  pay,  I  shall  leave  without  it. 
Perhaps  your  men  will  give  me  my  wages  more 
willmgly." 

He  strode  off  toward  the  sea,  taking  long  but 
shuffling  steps.  The  horse  moved  after  him,  slowly 
at  first,  but  with  ever  increasing  speed.  The  Fen- 
ians were  still  on  his  back. 

"Get  off!"  cried  Fergus.  The  men  tried  desper- 
ately, but  they  were  fastened  as  tight  as  if  they 
had  grown  there. 

"Is  there  no  man  among  you  who  will  stop  this 
beast?"  shouted  Conan,  when  he  found  that  they 
were  moving  away  from  the  Fenian  camp. 

A  new  member  of  the  band  ran  after  the  animal 
and  seized  it  by  the  tail.  Instead  of  stopping  it, 
he,  too,  came  under  the  enchantment  and  could  not 
let  go. 

The  giant  suddenly  lost  all  his  awkwardness.  He 
began  to  run  with  the  speed  of  the  wind.  The  horse 
also  became  full  of  life  and  fleet  of  foot. 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  107 

"I  charge  you,  Finn/'  called  Conan,  "not  to  take 
any  rest  until  you  have  rescued  us." 

Before  the  startled  Fenians  could  realize  what  had 
happened,  the  giant  and  the  horse  were  at  the  edge 
of  the  sea.  They  entered  the  water  at  full  speed. 
As  they  advanced,  the  waves  parted  for  them  and 
closed  again  after  they  had  passed. 

Thus  disappeared  the  Worthless  Servant  and  the 
fifteen  Fenians  he  had  taken  for  his  wages. 

II 

As  soon  as  they  had  gone,  Finn  began  prepara- 
tions to  go  to  their  rescue.  He  asked  Fergus  for 
advice  as  to  where  they  might  find  a  suitable  ship. 
Fergus  replied  that  there  was  one  about  five  miles 
distant.  Finn  called  Dermot  and  a  small  body  of 
the  bravest  of  his  men  together  and  told  them  that 
they  were  to  accompany  him.  All  were  delighted 
to  go  upon  such  an  adventure. 

The  party  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when 
they  met  two  handsome  young  men,  dressed  in  green 
garments  and  without  any  weapons  of  war.  One 
carried  a  light  wand  in  his  hand. 

"We  crave  to  enter  thy  service,  O  Finn,''  said  the 
elder  of  the  two. 

"Very  well,"  answered  Finn.  "We  are  on  a  dif- 
ficult errand  and  need  only  men  of  experience,  but 
you  may  join  the  Fenians  in  our  rear." 


108  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"It  is  to  go  with  you  that  we  seek  service,"  said 
the  stranger. 

"Have  you  any  special  talents  that  would  be  of 
value  to  us  on  a  difficult  adventure?"  asked  Finn. 

"I  can  be  of  great  service,  if  your  adventure  takes 
you  upon  the  sea,"  replied  the  elder.  "I  am  called 
Quick-Builder.  If  you  cover  your  heads  for  the 
space  of  a  minute  I  can  cause  the  harbor  to  be  filled 
with  ships  of  every  description.  After  you  have  se- 
lected the  one  you  wish,  all  the  others  will  disappear." 

"That  would  be  a  great  help  to  us  now,"  said  Finn. 
"And  what  can  you  do?"  he  asked  the  younger. 

"I  am  called  Keen-Sight,"  the  boy  replied.  "I 
can  follow  any  track  on  land,  air  or  water.  I  can 
trace  the  eagle  to  her  nest  or  the  fish  upon  his 
journey." 

"Such  a  talent  will  be  of  great  assistance,"  said 
Finn.  "I  take  you  both  into  my  service.  Quick- 
Builder,  produce  your  ships." 

The  Fenians  obeyed  the  command  to  cover  their 
heads.  They  heard  the  sound  of  the  young  man's 
wand  strike  on  wood.  Then  they  looked  when  he 
bade  them.  They  were  greatly  astonished  to  find 
that  he  had  done  what  he  claimed.  Finn  chose  the 
boat  which  suited  his  needs.  He  ordered  his  men 
to  get  on  board  and  take  the  oars.  No  sooner  were 
they  on  this  ship  than  every  other  one  disappeared. 

Then  the  lad,  Keen-Sight,  took  his  place  in  the 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  109 

prow  of  the  boat  and  called  directions  to  the  steers- 
man. They  sped  on  over  the  ocean  until  they  were 
stopped  by  a  high  precipice  of  rock,  seemingly  the 
edge  of  a  great  island. 

''Here  ends  the  track/'  announced  Keen-Sight. 

"No  horse  could  have  climbed  that  cliff,"  declared 
Fergus. 

"No,''  answered  Finn.  "But  a  horse  could  pass 
under  it.  Noted  you  not  the  way  the  waves  parted 
for  the  giant  and  his  horse?  I  greatly  believe  that 
we  are  dealing  with  the  subjects  of  King  Under 
the  Waves." 

"If  that  is  so,  it  would  seem  to  be  our  duty  to 
get  on  shore  and  see  where  we  may  go,"  said  Fergus. 

"If  any  man  can  climb  that  cliff  it  is  Dermot," 
declared  Finn. 

Dermot  looked  at  the  face  of  the  precipice  and 
noted  a  rocky  shelf  about  half  way  up.  From  that 
on  there  seemed  to  be  footholds. 

"I  think  I  can  scale  it,"  he  said. 

He  had  the  Fenians  clear  off  the  length  of  the 
deck.  Then  taking  his  sword  and  holding  it  in  front 
of  him  like  a  pole,  he  ran  from  stern  to  prow.  He 
used  the  sword  as  a  lever  and  sprang  lightly  to  the 
rocky  shelf.  The  Fenians  set  up  a  cheer  at  the  splen- 
did feat.  Dermont  waved  to  them  and  soon  disap- 
peared from  view. 

Once  over  the  rocks  he  found  himself  in  a  pleas- 


no  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

ant  country  of  trees  and  little  brooks.  He  could  see 
neither  houses  nor  people.  He  walked  on  and  on 
without  seeing  a  living  thing.  At  last,  tired  and 
thirsty,  he  stopped  to  drink  from  a  well  of  clear 
water  beside  the  road.  As  he  touched  his  lips  to 
the  water  a  man  appeared  beside  him. 

"How  dare  you  drink  from  my  well?"  he  de- 
manded. 

"I  could  see  no  harm  in  taking  a  drink  from  an 
open  well,"  said  Dermot. 

"Then  you  are  little  better  than  a  thief,"  declared 
the  newcomer. 

"You  are  very  uncivil  to  say  so,"  answered  Der- 
mot. "I  shall  not  leave  this  place  until  I  have  had 
satisfaction  for  that  insult." 

He  grappled  with  the  man  and  wrestled  with  him 
for  a  decision.  When  it  seemed  that  he  must  win 
the  victory,  the  man  rolled  into  the  well  and  dis- 
appeared. 

The  next  day  the  same  thing  happened.  The  same 
man  appeared,  the  same  struggle  was  gone  through 
with,  and  once  more  he  disappeared  in  the  waters 
of  the  well.  Dermot  had  no  intention  of  leaving  un- 
til he  had  beaten  this  fellow.  On  the  third  day, 
when  the  time  for  disappearance  came,  Dermot  clung 
to  him  and  went  into  the  water  with  him. 

Judge  to  his  surprise  to  find  himself  not  in  a  well 
at  all,  but  in  a  beautiful  country  with  wealth  and 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  111 

plenty  on  every  side.  Dermot  did  not  have  to  guess 
where  he  was.  Every  Fenian  had  heard  of  this  land, 
but  no  mortal  had  ever  entered  it  before.  He  was 
in  the  Land  Under  the  Waves.  The  well  had  been 
the  entrance.  , 

When  Dermot  released  his  hold  on  the  man  with 
whom  he  had  been  struggling,  the  fellow  lost  no 
time  in  getting  away.  With  the  start  he  got  by  his 
quickness  he  soon  disappeared  among  the  trees.  Der- 
mot had  to  go  on  alone.  Before  long  he  found  him- 
self before  a  beautiful  castle.  At  the  gate  was  a 
guard  of  seven  warriors  on  either  side.  The  Fenian 
had  only  time  to  draw  his  sword  before  they  all 
set  upon  him. 

But  these  under-sea  champions  were  no  match  for 
him  either  in  strength  or  quickness.  He  quickly  de- 
feated the  fourteen  guards  and  many  others  who 
came  out  of  the  castle  to  their  aid.  In  the  evening, 
tired  from  his  struggle  with  the  man  at  the  well, 
and  his  fighting  at  the  castle  gate,  he  went  into  the 
woods  and  was  soon  sound  asleep. 

He  was  awakened  by  the  touch  of  a  hand  on  his 
shoulder.  He  quickly  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  hand 
on  his  sword,  to  face  this  newcomer.  It  was  a  knight 
in  armor,  fully  equipped  with  weapons,  but  the  smile 
on  his  face  showed  that  he  had  not  come  for  fighting. 

"Do  not  draw  your  sword,  for  I  am  a  friend,''  he 
said.  "Come  with  me  so  that  you  may  have  food 
and  a  better  and  more  comfortable  bed.'' 


112  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"I  would  be  foolish  did  I  refuse  such  an  offer/' 
replied  Dermot.     "Lead  the  way  and  I  will  follow." 

The  knight  led  him  into  a  small  castle  some  dis- 
tance away  and  took  him  into  the  banquet  hall,  where 
plenty  of  food  and  drink  was  still  on  the  table. 
Thirty  other  knights  rested  on  their  beds  in  the  room, 
and  some  rose  on  the  entrance  of  the  Fenian.  One 
was  the  man  who  had  wrestled  with  Dermot. 

"You  may  be  a  friend,  but  you  have  brought  me 
to  an  enemy,"  he  said  to  his  guide. 

"He  is  not  your  enemy,"  replied  the  knight.  "This 
man  was  the  messenger  I  sent  to  bring  you  here." 

Dermot  thought  back  over  the  three  days  of  wrest- 
ling and  of  the  way  the  man  had  left  him  to  face 
the  guards  of  the  castle. 

"I  should  say  that  your  messenger  had  some  rather 
rough  and  unsatisfactory  methods,"  said  Dermot. 
"If  he  was  to  lead  me  here,  why  did  he  not  tell 
me  so?" 

The  knight  smiled.  "I  understand  your  surprise. 
It  was  necessary  for  him  to  do  just  as  he  did,  for 
it  is  only  possible  to  enter  the  Land  Under  the  Sea 
in  the  manner  in  which  you  came.  But  sit  down 
and  eat.    I  shall  explain  as  you  satisfy  your  hunger." 

Dermot  needed  no  second  invitation.  The  knight 
sat  down  at  the  table  with  him  while  the  others  went 
back  to  their  couches. 

"I  am  known  as  the  Knight  of  Valor,"  his  host 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  113 

began.  ''And  I  am  the  rightful  ruler  of  this  land. 
By  a  trick  my  brother  has  seized  the  kingdom  and 
is  reigning  in  my  stead.  All  he  has  left  me  is  this 
small  castle  and  the  thirty  knights  whom  you  see 
about  you.  When  I  heard  that  Dermot  of  the  Fen- 
ians had  landed  on  the  island,  I  determined  to  enlist 
your  help.  I  sent  one  of  my  men  to  the  well  to  wait 
for  you.     The  result  you  know." 

"If  I  was  to  be  brought  here  to  help  you,  why 
was  I  left  alone  to  face  that  castle  guard?"  asked 
Dermot. 

'That  is  a  fair  question,"  answered  the  knight. 
"You  see,  I  had  heard  great  tales  of  your  strength, 
but  I  did  not  know  if  it  was  greater  than  that  of 
the  men  of  our  land.  That  castle  is  the  strong- 
hold of  my  brother,  and  those  were  his  men.  Your 
combat  with  them  showed  me  that  if  you  will  help 
us,  we  can  wrest  the  kingdom  from  his  wicked  hands. 
My  people  are  suffering  from  my  brother's  rule ;  will 
you  help  me  to  free  them?" 

"You  have  been  fair  with  me,"  answered  Dermot. 
"I  will  help  you.  I  will  not  hold  it  against  you  that 
your  guide  deserted  me  before  the  castle,  since  that 
combat  leaves  us  fewer  men  to  meet  tomorrow." 

"Your  willingness  affords  me  great  pleasure,"  said 
the  knight.  "I  am  sure  that  tomorrow  night  will  see 
me  once  more  upon  my  rightful  throne." 

Dermot  finished  his  meal  and  then  was  shown  a 
bed  where  he  spent  the  night. 


114  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

With  the  first  streaks  of  morning  light,  the  Httle 
castle  became  a  scene  of  busy  preparations.  Each 
of  the  thirty  knights  buckled  on  his  armor,  took  up 
his  shield  and  announced  himself  willing  to  follow 
Dermot's  orders.  The  Knight  of  Valor,  fully  armed, 
took  his  place  at  Dermot's  side,  and  the  little  army 
went  forth  to  battle.  When  they  approached  the 
castle  of  the  false  king,  Dermot  called  out: 

"Come  forth,  false  king,  and  fight  me  for  your 
kingdom !" 

This  the  usurper  was  afraid  to  do.  He  knew  bet- 
ter than  to  risk  his  life  against  such  a  hero.  For 
answer  he  sent  out  all  his  forces  and  only  appeared 
when  his  warriors  formed  a  protecting  wall  between 
him  and  his  enemies.  There  he  remained  in  safety. 
Dermot  placed  his  men  in  the  form  of  a  wedge  with 
himself  in  the  lead  and  went  into  battle. 

Now,  the  army  of  the  false  king  was  only  loyal 
to  him  because  he  had  paid  them  to  place  him  upon 
the  throne.  Then,  too,  they  feared  this  terrible  Fen- 
ian, who  had  faced  them  the  night  before.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Knight  of  Valor  and  his  men,  cheered 
by  having  such  a  fighter  on  their  side,  fought  as  they 
had  never  fought  before.  In  a  short  time  the  wedge 
went  through  the  opposing  forces,  leaving  the  wicked 
brother  unprotected. 

This  man  did  not  wait  any  longer.  He  turned 
and  ran  into  the  palace  for  safety,  closing  the  gate 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  115 

behind  him.  His  forces  would  not  keep  up  the  strug- 
gle after  their  leader  left  them.  They  threw  down 
their  weapons  in  token  that  they  were  through. 

Dermot  determined  to  get  hold  of  this  brother. 
He  did  not  stop  for  the  gate,  but  used  his  sword 
as  a  lever  and  jumped  over  the  wall  just  as  he  had 
gone  up  the  cliff.  He  caught  the  pretender  before 
he  could  get  across  the  courtyard,  and  brought  him 
out  where  his  men  could  see  him.  There  Dermot 
released  him  and  once  more  asked  him  if  he  was 
ready  to  fight  for  the  right  to  retain  the  kingdom. 

The  wicked  fellow's  knees  shook  to  the  rapid  beat- 
ing of  his  heart.  They  trembled  so  he  had  to  get 
down  on  them  to  make  them  support  him  at  all. 

"Spare  me!     Spare  me!"  he  cried. 

"Are  you  willing  to  give  up  the  throne  to  your 
brother,  the  rightful  kmg?''  asked  Dermot. 

*T  am  if  my  men  are  satisfied,"  answered  the  man, 
still  on  his  knees. 

For  an  answer  his  men  gave  a  cheer  for  the  Knight 
of  Valor.  Then  Dermot  picked  out  thirty  men  for 
the  false  king. 

"You  shall  have  what  you  gave  your  brother,"  he 
said.  "Now,  get  up  and  lead  your  men  to  the  castle 
you  set  apart  for  him.    That  shall  be  your  kingdom." 

Then  the  Knight  of  Valor  led  his  new  friend  into 
the  castle.  They  were  served  by  the  happy  people, 
happy  in  the  return  of  their  own  kind  ruler.     A 


116  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

joyous  celebration  was  held  in  Dermot's  honor,  but 
that  hero  cut  it  short  by  saying: 

"Now  that  I  have  helped  you,  you  can  show  your 
gratitude  by  giving  me  some  assistance.  I  would 
find  the  giant  with  the  bony  horse  who  took  away 
fifteen  of  the  Fenians.  Also,  I  would  get  back  to 
Finn  with  what  information  you  can  give  me." 

"I  suppose  you  mean  the  man  who  calls  himself 
the  Worthless  Servant?"  asked  the  Knight  of  Valor. 

Dermot  nodded  his  head. 

"Then  I  can  help  you.  That  man  was  no  giant, 
but  a  friend  of  mine,  who  took  that  shape  to  get 
some  of  the  Fenians  to  come  over  and  help  him. 
He  is  about  to  be  attacked  by  Donn,  High  King  of 
the  World,  and  needs  all  the  help  he  can  command. 
Tomorrow  you  and  I  shall  go  at  the  head  of  my 
army  to  give  him  assistance.  You  will  find  Finn 
and  your  companions  already  there.  You  see,  we 
worked  together.  Keen -Sight  and  Quick  -  Builder 
are  our  men,  whom  we  sent  to  bring  you  her^.  To- 
morrow you  shall  see  them  all." 

Ill 

Finn  and  his  companions  had  waited  but  a  short 
time  after  Dermot  had  disappeared  over  the  cliff. 
The  lad,  Keen-Sight,  had  kept  quiet  until  Dermot 
was  out  of  sight.  Then  he  turned  to  the  Fenians 
and  said: 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  117 

"Though  the  horse  and  men  went  in  here,  I  think 
I  can  find  you  a  harbor  which  will  lead  us  to  the 
same  place." 

"That  you  should  have  told  us  before  Dermot 
left/'  said  Finn. 

Keen-Sight  made  no  reply. 

"Well,  it  does  not  matter,"  said  Finn.  "Guide 
us  to  the  harbor.  Dermot  will  be  safe  and  will  find 
us  later." 

Again  the  men  bent  to  their  oars  and  rowed  in 
the  direction  given  by  Keen-Sight.  Some  days  later 
they  came  to  a  broad  harbor  in  which  a  thousand 
ships  like  theirs  could  have  anchored.  The  Fenians 
made  fast  the  boat  and  sprang  ashore.  Still  guided 
by  Keen-Sight,  they  journeyed  a  short  distance  to- 
ward the  interior  of  the  country. 

Suddenly  a  large  army  appeared,  coming  toward 
them.  The  Fenians  drew  up  in  battle  array,  but 
Finn  told  them  to  have  no  fear. 

"For,"  he  explained,  "do  you  not  see  Dermot  in 
the  lead?    It  is  easy  to  see  that  he  is  not  a  prisoner." 

When  Dermot  saw  his  friends,  he  let  out  a  loud 
shout  of  joy  and  hastened  to  meet  them.  The  Knight 
of  Valor  came  up  and  extended  a  welcome  to  the 
Fenians. 

"We  are  in  pursuit  of  the  man  who  calls  himself 
the  Worthless  Servant,"  said  Finn.  "Can  you  give 
us  directions  for  finding  him?" 


118  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"I  can  do  that,"  said  the  Knight  of  Valor.  "We 
are  now  but  a  short  distance  from  his  palace." 

Then  they  all  fell  in  together  and  walked  on  until 
they  saw  before  them  a  handsome  castle. 

''It  is  here  the  man  lives,"  said  the  Knight  of 
Valor.  "He  is  really  the  king  of  a  large  country, 
but  took  the  shape  you  saw  him  in  to  enlist  your  aid." 

The  Knight  of  Valor  raised  his  voice  and  gave  a 
loud  cry.  Soon  the  gates  of  the  castle  opened.  Out 
came  the  ugly  old  giant  followed  by  his  horse.  On 
its  back  still  rode  the  fourteen  Fenians,  while  the 
fifteenth  still  clung  to  its  tail. 

"Have  you  been  like  that  ever  since  you  left  us?" 
asked  Finn,  when  the  horse  approached  near  enough 
for  the  men  to  hear  his  voice. 

"We  have  not,"  answered  Conan.  He  and  the  oth- 
ers slipped  off  the  horse's  back  and  came  to  greet 
their  comrades.  "We  have  been  treated  like  kings. 
We  merely  came  out  in  state  so  that  you  might  not 
forget  how  we  arrived." 

"Your  pardon,  O  Finn,"  said  a  voice. 

Finn  looked  at  the  spot  where  the  giant  had  been 
standing,  but  saw  a  strong  young  champion  in  his 
stead.  "I  am  Avarta,  ruler  of  this  land.  If  I  played 
the  part  of  the  Worthless  Servant,  it  was  to  bring 
here  enough  Fenians  to  give  us  help  in  the  hour  of 
need.  My  messengers  have  informed  me  that  the 
High  King  of  the  World  is  about  to  attack  us.  With- 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  119 

out  your  help  I  would  be  defeated'  with  it  I  shall 
conquer." 

''Why  did  you  not  request  my  help,  if  you  needed 
it,  instead  of  taking  away  my  men  and  forcing  me 
to  come  after  them?"  asked  Finn. 

''Had  I  asked  you  to  come  to  a  far  country  to 
fight,  you  would  have  refused.  You  would  have  told 
me  that  it  was  your  duty  to  remain  in  Erin  to  de- 
fend it,"  said  Avarta.  "But  I  did  know  that  you 
would  not  refuse  to  come  to  rescue  your  own  men, 
and  that  you  would  help  if  you  were  here." 

"It  is  true,"  said  Finn.  "I  hold  no  hard  feelings 
against  you.  My  men  and  myself  will  do  our  part 
against  the  High  King  of  the  World." 

Then  the  leaders  went  into  the  banquet  hall  of  the 
castle.  The  other  warriors  were  quartered  in  the 
spacious  courtyard.  Avarta  caused  everything  in 
his  power  to  be  done  for  their  comfort.  For  a  day 
and  two  nights  they  feasted,  rested  and  waited  for 
the  arrival  of  the  enemy. 

IV 

On  the  morning  of  the  second  day  after  their  ar- 
rival, a  great  fleet  anchored  in  the  harbor.  The  men 
immediately  began  landing  in  great  numbers.  At 
their  head  was  the  son  of  the  High  King,  and  with 
him  was  his  sister,  Teasa,  who  wanted  to  see  her 
brother  capture  the  castle. 


120  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

Finn  placed  his  men  in  battle  array;  giving  to 
the  Knight  of  Valor  and  his  warriors  the  defense 
of  the  right  wing,  and  to  Avarta  and  his  army  the 
duty  of  holding  the  left  wing.  With  his  Fenians, 
Finn  took  the  center,  where  the  fighting  would  be 
the  heaviest. 

The  two  armies  met  in  deadly  combat.  The  two 
wings  held  their  own  with  difficulty,  being  about 
evenly  matched  with  the  enemy.  But  the  Fenians, 
with  desperate  valor,  overwhelmed  the  enemy  cen- 
ter with  great  slaughter.  It  was  a  great  surprise 
to  the  High  King's  son.  He  rallied  his  men  bravely 
and  gave  them  an  example  of  valor,  but  it  was  use- 
less. Finn  was  everywhere,  now  engaging  and  de- 
feating a  score  of  warriors,  now  helping  with  one 
division  of  his  men  and  now  another.  Dermot,  the 
pride  of  the  Fenians,  was  always  in  the  thick  of  the 
struggle.  His  flashing  sword  made  a  circle  of  steel 
about  him.     No  man  could  stand  against  him. 

Teasa,  who  had  come  to  see  the  prowess  of  her 
brother,  forgot  all  about  him  in  watching  the  deeds 
of  Finn.  She  admired  his  fair  hair  and  manly  bear- 
ing, and  his  bravery  appealed  to  her  even  more 
strongly.  It  was  while  watching  him  drive  back 
her  father's  army  that  she  fell  deeply  in  love  with 
him.  When  her  brother  gave  orders  for  his  men 
to  fall  back  from  the  unequal  struggle,  Teasa  left 
her  own  side  and  went  over  to  the  Fenians.  She 
found  Finn  and  said  to  him: 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT         121 

"I  have  watched  you  in  the  fight  today,  O  Finn, 
and  my  heart  called  out  to  you,  even  against  my 
own  brother.  I  pray  you  take  me  to  Erin  and  make 
me  your  wife." 

"That  I  cannot  do,  fair  maiden,''  said  Finn.  "I 
have  no  need  of  a  wife." 

"You  cannot  refuse  me,"  she  cried.  "No  true 
champion  should  refuse  a  maiden  when  she  offers 
herself  to  him." 

Finn  was  honest  in  his  refusal.  He  still  mourned 
for  Saba.  Anyhow,  he  knew  that  to  take  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  High  King  would  cause  a  great  deal  of 
trouble. 

"You  had  better  go  back  to  your  father  while 
there  is  still  time,"  he  told  her  kindly. 

"That  I  will  not  do,"  declared  Teasa.  "Already 
my  father  knows  that  I  have  come  over  to  his  en- 
emies. If  I  go  back  he  will  kill  me.  If  I  cannot  have 
your  love,  I  can  claim  your  protection  from  those 
who  would  kill  me.  I  put  you  under  bonds  to  take 
me  with  you  to  Erin." 

"I  beg  you  to  release  me  from  such  bonds,"  said 
Finn.     "Nothing  but  trouble  can  come  of  it." 

But  the  maiden  insisted  that  she  claimed  his  pro- 
tection as  a  Fenian,  and  he  could  not  refuse  her. 

When  Donn  saw  the  retreat  of  his  son  and  his 
army,  he  called  a  council  of  his  wise  men  to  see  what 
it  was  best  to  do. 


122  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"This  is  no  time  to  attack  Avarta/'  said  one  of 
them.  "The  Fenians  are  with  him,  and  we  have  not 
men  enough  to  stand  against  them.  The  best  thing 
for  us  to  do  is  to  retire  and  wait  a  more  favorable 
time,  when  the  men  of  Erin  have  gone  home.'' 

This  advice  was  repeated  by  the  others  of  the 
council.  Just  then  the  son  came  on  board  and  ap- 
proached his  father. 

"We  are  defeated,''  he  said.  "I  have  ordered  my 
men  to  retire,  lest  they  all  be  killed  and  we  gain 
nothing  by  it." 

"It  is  well,"  said  Donn.  "But  tell  me,  why  is  not 
your  sister  with  you?  She  went  with  you  to  battle 
and  I  do  not  see  her  returnmg." 

The  son  hung  his  head,  afraid  to  tell  his  father 
the  truth. 

"Speak,  my  son!"  cried  Donn.  "She  cannot  be 
killed!  Surely  the  Fenians  do  not  make  war  on 
women !" 

"Far  better  had  she  died,"  said  the  young  man. 
"She  has  left  us  and  gone  to  the  Fenians." 

Then  the  High  King  lifted  up  his  voice  in  a  long 
cry  of  grief  and  anger.  Teasa  was  very  dear  to 
him.  He  could  not  bear  to  think  that  she  had  gone 
over  to  the  enemy. 

"I  am  sure  she  is  held  against  her  will,"  said 
Donn.  "Send  heralds  to  this  Fenian  and  order  him 
to  surrender  our  daughter  to  us." 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  123 

But  the  heralds  came  back  with  the  word  that 
Finn  refused.  Then  Donn  stood  out  upon  the  high- 
est deck  and  raised  his  arms  above  his  head  in  a 
vow  of  vengeance. 

"Hear  me,  O  Finn!"  he  called.  "You  have  taken 
my  daughter  from  me,  and  I  vow  that  I  will  be 
revenged  upon  you.  Though  it  take  me  all  the 
rest  of  my  life  to  prepare,  and  though  I  must  get 
every  king  in  the  world  to  help  me,  I  vow  I  shall 
not  rest  until  I  have  come  to  Erin  and  have  pun- 
ished you  for  this  deed." 

Then  the  High  King  raised  the  sails  of  his  fleet, 
his  men  bent  to  their  oars,  and  the  battle  fleet  sailed 
out  of  the  harbor. 

Dermot  turned  to  his  chief.  "I  fear  that  trouble 
is  about  to  come  upon  Erin  and  the  Fenians,"  he 
said.     "Chew  your  thumb  and  see  if  it  is  not  so." 

Finn  shook  his  head  sadly.  "I  have  no  need  of 
my  thumb  to  tell  me  that  what  you  say  is  true. 
Yet,  the  maiden  claimed  my  protection,  and  I  could 
not,  under  our  rules,  refuse  her." 

"That  is  so,"  agreed  Dermot. 


V 


There  was  great  rejoicing  in  the  land  when  the 
fleet  sailed  away.  Avarta  thanked  the  Fenians  for 
their  aid  and  gave  them  many  rich  gifts.     Finn  was 


124  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

satisfied.  Avarta,  however,  was  willing  to  make 
still  further  amends. 

"Since  I  took  away  your  men  by  an  enchantment, 
it  is  only  fair  that  you  should  make  an  award  for 
me  to  fulfill,"  he  insisted. 

"There  is  no  award  I  would  require  of  you,"  said 
Finn,  who  never  asked  favors  of  any  man  to  whom 
he  had  given  help. 

"Stay,  O  Finn,"  cried  Conan.  "You  did  not  have 
to  ride  all  day  on  that  bony  back,  which  was  sharper 
than  a  sword.  If  there  is  an  award  to  be  made,  I 
am  the  one  entitled  to  it." 

Finn  would  have  said  no,  fearing  that  Conan 
would  ask  for  gold  and  thus  put  shame  upon  the 
Fenians.  But  Avarta  turned  to  Conan  politely  and 
told  him  to  name  his  award. 

"It  is  this,"  said  Conan.  "You  are  to  bring  out 
your  bony  horse  and  place  upon  its  back  fourteen 
of  your  own  nobles.  You  are  to  bring  them  to  Erin, 
so  some  one  else  shall  feel  the  pain  of  that  journey." 

The  Fenians  roared  with  laughter.  They  were 
glad  that  Conan  had  not  yielded  to  his  desire  for 
gain,  but  had  made  a  good  award. 

"And  I  wish  to  add  the  sentence,  that  Avarta 
himself  shall  cling  to  the  animal's  tail,"  said  the 
young  Fenian  who  had  made  the  trip  in  that  man- 
ner. "Only  in  that  way  can  he  appreciate  the  pain 
I  bore  in  coming." 


THE  WORTHLESS  SERVANT  125 

"The  award  is  just,"  declared  Avarta.  "Get  on 
your  ship.  When  you  arrive  in  Erin  we  shall  be 
with  you." 

So  the  Fenians  got  on  their  ship  and  went  back 
as  rapidly  as  sails  and  oars  could  take  them.  When 
they  landed  in  Erin  the  ship  disappeared,  but  where 
it  had  been,  the  waves  parted  and  the  great  horse, 
with  fourteen  nobles  on  its  back  and  the  Worthless 
Servant  clinging  to  its  tail,  came  out  on  the  shore. 

"I  have  carried  out  the  award,"  said  Avarta. 

"You  have,"  said  Finn.  "Now,  I  pray  you,  let 
your  men  dismount  that  all  of  you  may  partake  of 
our  hospitality." 

There  was  no  answer.  Where  the  horse  and  men 
had  stood  there  was  nothing.  They  had  disappeared 
as  a  mist  taken  up  by  the  sun. 


126  LEGENDARY  HEROES 


DERMOT  AND   GRAINNE 

It  was  some  time  after  the  pursuit  of  the  Worth- 
less Servant  that  the  events  of  this  story  took  place. 
Finn,  knowing  that  sooner  or  later  his  forces  would 
have  to  meet  those  of  the  High  King  of  the  World, 
spent  most  of  his  time  building  up  the  numbers  of 
his  Fenians,  so  that  he  would  have  a  force  sufficient 
when  the  time  came  for  the  great  struggle. 

This  angered  Cormack,  High  King  of  Tara,  to 
whom  Finn  owed  allegiance.  Cormack  had  been 
very  jealous  of  the  power  of  the  Fenians  and  of 
the  hold  Finn  had  upon  them.  Sometimes  these 
Fenians  did  make  demands  on  the  people  of  the 
country,  and  some  of  these  demands  were  unreason- 
able. You  see,  Finn  was  getting  to  be  quite  an  old 
man.  While  his  courage  and  his  wisdom  were  as 
great  as  of  old,  he  was  not  with  his  men  as  con- 
stantly as  he  had  been  in  his  earlier  years.  Prob- 
ably they  took  advantage  of  this  fact  and  did  things 
he  would  not  have  allowed  had  he  known  of  them. 

Cormack  made  up  his  mind  that  the  overbearing 
conduct  of  some  of  the  Fenians  was  caused  by  the 
fact  that  Finn  had  no  respect  for  the  authority  of 
the  High  King.     Then,  when  Finn  began  to  bend 


DERMOT  AND  GRAINNE  127 

every  effort  to  increase  the  fighting  strength  of  the 
Fenians,  Cormack  got  the  idea  that  his  leader  was 
about  to  take  the  kingdom  away  from  him. 

The  quarrel  began  to  grow  serious.  Some  of  the 
friends  of  both  men,  however,  urged  that  a  stronger 
alliance  be  formed  between  the  two  to  make  a  seri- 
ous break  impossible.  This  was  to  be  accomplished 
by  having  Finn  marry  Grainne,  the  daughter  of 
Cormack. 

The  two  men  finally  agreed  that  this  wedding 
should  take  place,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Finn  had 
a  grandson  older  than  the  girl  who  was  to  be  his 
wife.  Cormack  was  willing  because  he  really  feared 
Finn's  power  if  used  against  him.  Finn  was  will- 
ing because  he  knew  of  the  struggle  which  was  com- 
ing, and  he  wanted  no  quarrels  at  home  to  interfere 
with  his  preparations. 

Now,  Grainne  had  never  seen  this  mighty  leader. 
She  knew  him  only  from  the  stories  of  his  many 
deeds  of  valor.  To  have  such  a  noted  hero  for  a 
husband  seemed  quite  the  proper  thing,  especially 
when  she  was  told  that  the  marriage  was  arranged 
for  the  good  of  Erin.  She  told  her  father  that  she 
was  willing  to  have  Finn  for  a  husband. 

So,  the  Fenian  chief,  attended  by  his  son,  Ossian, 
his  grandson,  Oscar,  his  friend,  Dermot,  and  a  guard 
of  honor,  went  to  the  hall  at  Tara  for  the  wedding 
celebration.    A  great  feast  for  the  men  of  both  par- 


128  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

ties  was  held  in  the  banquet  hall.  During  the  meal 
Cormack  and  Finn  discussed  their  differences  and 
plans  for  a  better  understanding. 

Naturally  the  young  girl  was  anxious  to  have  a 
look  at  the  man  who  was  to  be  her  husband.  While 
the  feast  was  in  progress  she  came  to  the  door  of 
the  hall  with  her  maid,  who  was  to  point  out  Finn 
to  her  mistress.  The  maid  did  so.  Grainne  was 
amazed. 

"Surely  not  that  old  man!''  she  exclaimed. 

The  maid  told  her  that  there  could  be  no  mistake. 
Then  she  named  over  all  the  rest  of  the  party  in 
turn.  Grainne  made  up  her  mind  that  she  would  not 
go  on  with  the  ceremony. 

"My  father  did  not  tell  me  that  he  was  mating 
me  with  a  man  old  enough  to  be  my  grandfather/' 
she  said.  "If  he  had,  I  should  never  have  consented. 
What  can  that  old  man  want  with  a  wife?" 

"The  marriage  is  to  bind  the  Fenians  more  closely 
to  the  throne,"  said  the  maid. 

"That  could  be  done  in  other  ways,"  replied 
Grainne.  "If  Finn  sought  me  for  a  wife  for  his  son, 
I  would  be  willing  to  go  on  with  the  match." 

The  maid  explained  that  Ossian  already  had  a 
wife  and  could  not  take  another. 

"Well,  the  grandson  would  be  still  better,"  in- 
sisted Grainne.  "But  I  will  never  marry  that  old 
man;   never,  never,  never!" 


DERMOT  AND  GRAINNE  129 

"Then  it  would  be  best  for  you  to  so  inform  your 
father  immediately,"  advised  the  maid.  *'Even  now 
your  refusal  will  cause  more  bitter  feeling." 

"No,"  said  Grainne.  "My  father  would  insist  upon 
the  match.  If  I  get  out  of  this  marriage  it  will  have 
to  be  by  my  own  efforts." 

Then  the  girl  went  to  her  rooms  in  the  palace  and 
prepared  a  jug  of  wine,  putting  in  a  drug  which 
would  bring  a  heavy  sleep  to  all  who  tasted  of  it. 
This  she  gave  to  the  maid,  telling  her  to  go  to  the 
hall  and  give  a  sip  from  the  bride's  cup  to  everyone 
except  Oscar  and  Dermot.  To  these  she  was  to 
refuse  it. 

The  maid  followed  her  instructions.  All  to  whom 
it  was  offered  took  a  sip  of  the  drugged  liquor. 
When  they  were  asleep  Grainne,  dressed  in  her  most 
beautiful  robes,  entered  the  hall  and  went  straight 
to  Oscar  and  Dermot.  She  asked  Oscar  to  marry 
her  and  take  her  away.  Oscar  indignantly  refused 
to  be  false  to  the  man  who  was  both  his  chief  and 
his  grandfather. 

But  now  Grainne  had  looked  upon  the  Love  Spot. 
She  forgot  all  about  Oscar  in  her  new  love  for  this 
young  Fenian  hero.  She  now  pled  with  Dermot  to 
marry  her  and  take  her  away. 

Dermot  threw  off  her  arms  from  around  his  neck. 

"Think  you  that  I  would  cast  aside  my  honor  and 
lose  my  place  with  the  Fenians?"  he  cried.     "Never 


130  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

shall  it  be  said  that  Dermot  was  false  to  a  friend! 
Death  would  be  better  than  that!" 

But  Grainne  was  not  to  be  denied.  She  forgot 
everything  but  her  love  for  this  man.  She  used  a 
trick  to  compel  Dermot  to  take  her,  the  same  ruse 
that  Teasa  had  used  to  force  Finn  to  take  her  to  Erin. 

"If  you  will  not  have  me  for  your  wife,  I  put  you 
under  bonds  to  save  me  from  this  marriage,  which 
is  distasteful  to  me.  I  bind  you,  by  your  Fenian  oath, 
to  take  me  away  and  guard  me  from  all  pursuers 
until  I  release  you." 

Poor  Dermot  was  sorely  puzzled.  Whichever 
course  he  took  he  must  lose  his  honor.  He  must 
either  break  his  vow  to  give  protection  to  a  woman 
whenever  it  was  asked,  or  he  must  be  disloyal  to  Finn. 

"What  can  I  do?"  he  asked  Oscar. 

"To  give  you  advice  is  the  thing  I  would  gladly 
refuse,"  answered  Oscar.  "Since  you  ask  it,  I  must 
tell  you  that  your  honor  binds  you  to  do  as  she  asks." 

So  Dermot  and  Grainne  went  out  through  the  lit- 
tle gate  in  the  palace  wall  and  fled  into  the  forest, 
accompanied  only  by  Dermot's  faithful  hound. 

n 

When  the  men  awoke  from  their  drugged  sleep, 
and  Oscar  told  Finn  and  Cormack  what  had  hap- 
pened, both  men  were  exceedingly  angry.  They  im- 
mediately ordered  a  pursuit  of  the  fugitives.     For 


DERMOT  AND  GRAINNE  131 

days  Finn  and  his  men  followed  the  trail  of  the  two. 
While  they  often  came  upon  campfires  that  still 
smouldered,  showing  where  the  pursued  pair  had 
stopped,  they  never  were  able  to  catch  up  with  them. 
Dermot  was  caring  for  Grainne  with  what  food  he 
could  procure  in  the  forest.  He  was  kind  to  her, 
but  steadily  resisted  all  her  efforts  to  get  him  to 
marry  her.  At  each  camping  place  he  left  a  sign 
that  Finn  would  recognize  as  a  pledge  that  he  was 
not  fleeing  of  his  own  free  will,  but  because  the 
maiden  had  put  him  under  bonds. 

This  treatment,  however,  did  not  please  Grainne. 
All  her  pleading  for  his  love  met  with  no  response. 
At  last  she  appealed  to  a  Druid  for  help.  These 
Druids  had  great  magical  power,  if  they  could  be 
prevailed  upon  to  use  them.  Grainne  did  not  tell 
him  who  she  was.  She  played  a  part  calculated  to. 
excite  the  pity  of  the  magician. 

"I  am  in  deep  trouble,"  she  told  him.  "I  fear 
that  only  you  can  be  of  assistance  to  me.  I  can  tell 
by  the  kindness  of  your  face  that  you  are  always 
willing  to  help  a  maiden  in  distress.'' 

The  Druid  was  flattered  by  this  artful  speech. 

"What  can  I  do  for  you,  O  maiden?"  he  asked. 

"I  have  just  been  married,  and  my  husband  is  fall- 
ing in  love  with  another  maiden,"  lied  Grainne.  "I 
would  have  you  do  something  to  make  me  more 
beautiful,  so  that  my  husband  will  love  me  again.''' 


132  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

"I  could  not  make  you  more  beautiful  than  you 
are  already,"  said  the  Druid.  He  was  something 
of  a  flatterer  himself. 

"Then  give  me  something  to  kill  me,"  wailed 
Grainne.  "I  cannot  live  without  my  husband's  love." 
At  this  point  she  burst  into  a  violent  sobbing. 
The  heart  of  the  Druid  was  touched  by  her  pre- 
tended grief. 

"But  if  I  cannot  make  you  more  beautiful,  there 
is  something  else  I  can  do  for  you,"  he  said. 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Grainne,  drying  her  eyes. 

"I  can  give  you  a  liquid  to  pour  into  the  drink 
of  your  husband.  As  long  as  the  effect  lasts,  he 
will  love  you  better  than  anything  else  in  the  world." 

"Give  it  to  me  at  once,"  said  Grainne.  "If  I  can 
but  win  back  his  love,  I  will  keep  his  heart  forever." 

So  the  Druid  gave  her  the  love  charm,  and 
Grainne  administered  it  to  Dermot  in  his  food.  Im- 
mediately he  became  wildly  in  love  with  her  and 
yielded  to  her  pleadings  to  marry  her  at  once. 

Finn's  pursuit  had  daily  become  less  insistent. 
He  had  never  been  strongly  in  favor  of  marrying 
Grainne,  and  his  anger  against  Dermot  became  less 
keen.  When  he  heard  that  the  two  were  married 
he  abandoned  the  pursuit  entirely.  He  sent  word 
to  Dermot  that  if  he  kept  out  of  his  way  he  would 
no  longer  seek  to  punish  him,  but  that  he  had  been 
expelled  from  the  Fenians  for  disloyalty  to  his  leader. 


DERMOT  AND  GRAINNE  133 

And  so  it  happened  that  Finn  lost  his  best  friend 
and  his  companion  in  his  adventures.  The  Fenians, 
also,  lost  their  best  fighter.  This  is  the  reason  why, 
in  the  next  story,  which  tells  of  the  greatest  battle 
the  army  ever  engaged  in,  Dermot  was  not  there 
to  help. 


134  LEGENDARY  HEROES 


THE  BATTLE  OF  VENTRY  STRAND 

The  years  sped  by  with  no  sign  of  the  attack  by 
the  High  King  of  the  World.  One  less  wise  than 
Finn  would  have  decided  that  Donn  had  given  up 
his  revenge.  But  Finn  was  not  fooled.  He  knew 
that  the  attack  would  come,  and  that  each  year  of 
delay  meant  a  greater  force  against  him.  He  used 
the  time  to  build  up  a  stronger  defense. 

He  placed  a  guard  on  a  hill  overlooking  every 
harbor  of  Erin.  These  men  were  supposed  never 
to  leave  their  posts  without  placing  some  one  to 
watch  in  their  stead.  At  the  important  harbors,  the 
watch  was  strictly  kept,  year  after  year.  But  the 
guards  of  the  small  and  unimportant  ports  grew 
careless  and  spent  much  of  their  time  asleep  or  in 
the  nearby  villages. 

So  it  happened  that  when  the  great  fleet  finally 
came,  there  was  no  one  to  give  warning.  The  har- 
bor of  Ventry  Strand  was  the  one  picked  out  by 
Donn  for  his  landing.  He  chose  this  harbor  because 
it  was  small  and  unimportant.  He  was  guided  by 
a  traitor  who  had  been  expelled  from  the  ranks  of 
the  Fenians,  a  man  who  knew  the  placing  of  the 
forces  and  who  knew  that  the  guards  of  the  small 


THE  BATTLE  OF  VENTRY  STRAND    135 

harbors  like  Ventry  Strand  had  become  very  careless. 

When  the  guard  on  the  hill  awoke  he  was  hor- 
rified to  see  the  water  black  with  ships,  and  hun- 
dreds of  men  landing  on  the  shore.  He  could  see 
what  a  tremendous  force  the  High  King  had  gath- 
ered. There  were  the  banners  of  the  Kings  of 
France,  of  Spain,  of  Norway,  of  Denmark,  and  many 
others  he  did  not  recognize. 

The  guard  was  terrified  at  the  results  of  his  neg- 
lect of  duty.  He  was  afraid  to  face  Finn  and  ad- 
mit that  he  had  not  been  faithful  to  his  charge.  He 
did  the  next  best  thing.  He  sent  a  messenger  to 
his  chief  telling  him  of  the  arrival  of  the  enemy. 
Then  he  went  down  to  meet  the  hosts  alone,  and 
died  fighting  bravely  as  was  the  duty  of  a  Fenian. 

But  this  guard  was  not  the  only  one  to  show  his 
bravery  that  day.  All  through  history  we  find  rec- 
ords of  small  bodies  of  devoted  men  who  held  back 
great  armies  while  their  comrades  prepared  for  the 
fight.  The  battle  of  Ventry  Strand  was  no  excep- 
tion. This  time,  however,  it  was  not  men,  but  boys 
who  sacrificed  themselves  to  hold  back  the  enemy 
until  the  Fenians  could  arrive. 

In  many  of  our  stories  you  have  read  of  the  re- 
quirements of  strength  necessary  to  become  a  Fen- 
ian. No  doubt  you  have  wondered  if  there  was  not 
some  training  school  for  boys  who  would  be  eligible, 
if  they  could  pass  the  test.    There  was  such  a  train- 


136  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

ing.  It  was  called  the  Boys'  Corps.  All  boys  could 
join  this  group  when  old  enough  to  begin  their  train- 
ing. They  remained  in  it  until  they  were  able  to 
join  the  Fenians  or  had  failed  to  pass  the  entrance 
test.  Here  they  began  their  training  about  the  age 
of  twelve,  though  some  of  the  great  heroes  enrolled 
and  became  leaders  at  a  much  younger  age.  Finn, 
you  remember,  defeated  the  giant  Midna  at  the  age 
of  ten,  but  he  had  proved  himself  a  leader  of  the 
Boys'  Corps  long  before  that. 

These  groups  had  teachers  who  instructed  their 
pupils  in  the  Twelve  Books  of  Poetry,  and  gave  them 
training  in  the  use  of  the  weapons  of  the  chase  and 
of  warfare.  The  boys  did  not  live  at  home,'  but 
camped  with  the, others  of  the  group  and  lived  on 
what  they  could  kill,  just  as  did  the  Fenians.  Their 
training  was  much  the  same  as  that  described  in 
stories  of  the  Spartan  boys  in  Greece. 

One  of  these  training  groups  was  in  the  hills  of 
Ventry  when  the  forces  of  Donn  were  landing. 
Their  leader,  a  boy  of  sixteen,  who  had  proven  him- 
self the  most  expert  in  his  training,  saw  the  situa- 
tion and  thus  addressed  his  companions: 

"Behold,  an  enemy  has  landed  upon  the  shores  of 
Erin,  and  there  is  no  one  to  stay  them.  It  will  take 
Finn  and  his  men  all  day  to  reach  here.  In  the 
meantime,  there  are  two  courses  open  to  us.  We 
can  seek  safety  in  the  hills  and  let  the  foreigner  pil- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  VENTRY  STRAND    137 

lage  our  country,  or  we  can  go  down  and  die  fight- 
ing in  its  defense.  It  is  for  you  to  choose.  If  we 
hide  we  may  grow  up  to  become  Fenians.  But  can 
we  look  Finn  in  the  face  and  tell  him  that  we  proved 
our  worth  by  hiding?'' 

He  drew  a  line  on  the  ground  and  stepped  over  it. 

'T,  for  one,  prefer  to  show  these  men  what  sort 
of  boys  grow  up  to  be  the  men  of  Erin.  Those  who 
will  follow  me  to  the  strand  to  die  bravely  fighting 
for  our  country,  will  step  across  the  line.'' 

With  a  shout  every  boy  jumped  over  the  line  to 
the  side  of  their  leader.  Then,  with  shields  in  front 
and  weapons  ready,  the  Boys'  Corps  marched  down 
to  meet  the  invaders. 

"Ho!  Ho!"  laughed  one  of  the  soldiers.  "Have 
the  men  of  Erin  hidden  in  their  holes  and  sent  the 
children  to  greet  us?" 

"Better  gain  what  glory  you  can  before  the  men 
of  Erin  arrive  to  cut  short  your  boasting,"  cried  the 
boy  leader,  dashing  at  the  man  who  had  mocked  them. 

Soon  the  whole  boy  force  was  engaged  in  the  un- 
equal struggle  against  an  overwhelming  number  of 
men  hardened  to  battle.  But  though  they  were  boys 
and  knew  that  they  must  die  in  the  end,  there  was 
no  one  but  showed  the  fighting  blood  of  his  fathers. 
One  after  another  they  went  down,  but  all  that  day 
they  held  the  forces  of  the  High  King  on  the  shore. 
When  the  Fenians  arrived  that  evening  the  enemy 


138  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

was  still  on  his  ships  and  at  the  water's  edge.  But 
where  were  the  heroic  boys?  Not  one  was  left. 
Only  the  peasants,  who  had  watched  the  fight  from 
the  hillsides,  could  tell  the  story  of  that  noble  stand. 

When  Finn  came  up  and  saw  the  forces  against 
him,  he  realized  that  the  battle  would  be  long  and 
hard.  His  only  hope  was  to  use  small  bodies  of 
his  fighters  against  the  foe,  and  trust  to  the  bravery 
of  his  men  to  wear  down  the  forces  of  the  enemy. 

"Shall  we  attack  in  force  and  drive  them  into  the 
sea?"  asked  Gaul.  "Every  Fenian  should  be  able 
to  account  for  ten  of  the  enemy." 

"They  will  have  to  do  more  than  that,"  declared 
Finn.  "We  must  send  out  two  hundred  of  our  men 
each  day  and  let  them  make  what  headway  they  can. 
Only  in  that  way  can  we  reduce  their  number  enough 
to  make  possible  their  defeat.  The  Fenians  need 
room  to  fight  and  must  have  strong  odds  against 
them  to  made  them  do  their  best.  Who  will  lead 
the  first  two  hundred?" 

"I  will  lead  them,"  cried  Gaul. 

"I,  too,  will  go,"  declared  Ossian. 

"I  will  be  in  the  first  two  hundred,"  said  Oscar. 

"So  be  it,"  said  Finn.  "May  you  spread  terror 
into  the  hearts  of  the  enemy." 

Next  morning  the  two  hundred  charged  into  the 
foe.  By  nightfall  the  forces  of  the  High  King  were 
cut  to  pieces.    But  ol  the  Fenians  there  was  left  but 


THE  BATTLE  OF  VENTRY  STRAND    139 

Gaul,  Ossian  and  Oscar.    Gaul  was  so  badly  wound- 
ed that  he  had  to  be  carried  back  to  the  camp. 

More  men  landed  from  the  ships  and  rallied 
around  three  men,  swordsmiths  of  the  High  King, 
who  had  led  the  forces  that  day,  and  who  had  stood 
against  the  Fenian  heroes  until  night  closed  the  battle. 

The  next  day  Ossian  and  Oscar  led  out  two  hun- 
dred fresh  men  from  the  Fenian  army.  They  were 
met  by  the  three  smiths  and  a  great  force  from  the 
army  of  the  High  King.  All  day  the  battle  con- 
tinued. Each  Fenian  did  great  deeds  of  valor  and 
proved  worthy  of  his  name.  Toward  the  close  of 
the  day  but  three  smiths  and  Ossian  and  Oscar  were 
left  to  carry  on  the  battle.  Oscar,  the  best  swords- 
man of  the  Fenians,  was  holding  two  of  the  oppos- 
ing champions.  The  third  was  pressing  hard  against 
his  father  and  forcing  him  backward. 

Finn  was  greatly  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  his 
son.  Of  course,  under  their  rules  of  warfare,  no 
more  men  could  come  into  the  battle  after  it  had 
started.  Finn  did  the  only  thing  left  for  him  to  do. 
He  sent  his  poet,  Fergus,  to  stand  behind  Ossian 
and  to  sing  to  him  of  the  great  deeds  he  had  done 
in  the  past.  This  encouragement  was  what  Ossian 
needed.  A  great  strength  rose  up  within  him.  He 
forced  back  his  opponent  and  took  his  head.  Oscar, 
at  the  same  time,  conquered  the  two,  who  stood 
against  him. 


140  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

The  victory  that  day  rested  with  the  Fenians. 
But  it  was  dearly  bought.  At  the  end  of  his  com- 
bat Oscar  sank  to  the  ground,  fainting  from  nis 
many  wounds.  His  father  had  to  carry  him  back 
to  the  camp  of  the  Fenians.  It  was  many  months 
before  he  was  strong  enough  to  again  take  part 
in  the  fighting. 

n 

Not  all  the  brave  fighters  in  the  battle  of  Ventry 
Strand  were  on  the  Fenian  side.  Other  men  could 
face  great  odds,  too.  The  three  smiths,  who  had 
fallen  that  day,  had  a  brother  still  on  the  ship  of 
the  High  King.  When  this  man  saw  the  result  of 
the  fight,  he  let  out  a  mighty  shout  of  grief  and 
rage.     He  went  straight  to  the  High  King. 

"Tomorrow  I  am  going  to  meet  the  two  hundred 
Fenians,"  he  said.  ''What  is  more,  I  am  going  alone. 
If  any  of  our  men  try  to  interfere  with  me,  I  shall 
kill  them." 

The  High  King  knew  that  this  man  was  the  great- 
est champion  on  his  side.  He  was  willing  to  have 
him  go  out  and  strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the 
Fenians.  He  gave  orders  that  he  should  be  the  only 
one  to  land  next  day. 

For  the  next  day's  battle  Finn  had  no  great  leader 
for  his  men.  One  young  Fenian,  anxious  to  gain 
glory  for  himself,  offered  to  lead  the  two  hundred. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  VENTRY  STRAND    141 

Finn  let  him  go.  All  day  long  the  two  hundred 
Fenians  faced  this  one  champion.  By  night  the  for- 
eigner was  alone  on  the  field.  A  shout  of  victory 
went  up  from  the  ships  of  the  High  King.  The 
Fenians  were  far  from  joyous  to  see  such  valor 
on  the  side  of  the  enemy. 

The  next  day  this  champion  again  defeated  the 
two  hundred  Fenians,  and  for  the  four  days  follow- 
ing, the  combats  ended  the  same.  Finn  was  getting 
desperate.  He  could  not  go  out  and  meet  the  man 
himself,  because  if  he  were  killed  or  badly  wounded, 
his  men  would  be  leaderless  and  the  forces  of  the 
High  King  would  gain  the  victory. 

How  he  wished  for  Dermot  in  this  hour  of  need! 
The  splendid  example  of  this  great  hero  would  have 
done  the  Fenians  more  good  than  a  thousand  sol- 
diers. Ossian  and  Oscar,  too  badly  wounded  to 
fight,  pled  with  Finn  to  relent  and  send  for  his  one- 
time champion  and  dearest  friend.  But  Finn's  pride 
would  not  permit  him  to  do  this.  The  thought  that 
Dermot  had  yielded  to  a  woman's  plea  to  be  false 
to  his  chief,  cut  him  to  the  heart. 

All  great  men  have  their  moments  of  weakness. 
The  one  dark  spot  on  the  record  of  Finn  is  his  treat- 
ment of  Dermot.  One  point  we  find  in  his  favor. 
It  is  the  fact  that  he  did  not  send  for  Dermot  dur- 
ing the  battle.  If  he  could  not  forgive  him  because 
he  felt  the  justice  of  his  friend's  position,  he  would 
not  say  so  because  he  needed  his  sword. 


142  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

In  this  hour  of  need  another  hero  arrived  on  the 
Fenian  side.  The  son  of  the  King  of  Ulster  heard 
of  this  battle  and  longed  to  take  part  in  it.  Though 
little  more  than  a  boy  he  went  to  his  father  and 
asked  his  permission.  His  father  met  this  request 
with  an  angry  reply. 

"What  nonsense!"  he  exclaimed.  "You  are  only 
a  boy  and  not  fit  to  go  into  battle.'' 

The  king  not  only  forbade  his  going,  but  he  set 
over  him  a  guard  of  his  twelve  foster-brothers  to 
see  that  he  did  not  go  without  permission.  But  the 
boy  was  not  to  be  denied.  He  talked  so  earnestly 
with  his  brothers  that  he  fired  them  with  a  desire 
to  take  part  in  the  great  battle.  In  the  end  all  thir- 
teen slipped  away  to  the  camp  of  Finn. 

The  boy  went  before  the  chief  of  the  Fenians. 
"I  am  the  son  of  the  King  of  Ulster/'  he  said.  "It 
is  my  wish  to  meet  this  champion,  who  is  bringing 
fear  into  the  hearts  of  the  Fenians." 

"Go  home,  boy,"  said  Conan.  "This  man  has  slain 
heroes  who  could  account  for  a  thousand  like  you." 

The  boy  looked  at  him  in  indignation.  "I  do  not 
know  the  Fenians,"  he  said.  "But  I  do  know  that 
you  must  be  Conan,  who  speaks  good  of  no  man. 
If  you  think  a  boy  should  not  face  this  champion, 
why  are  you  here  in  camp?  If  I  cannot  kill  this 
man,  I  can  at  least  show  the  foreigners  that  the  boys 
of  Erin  have  not  the  cowardice  of  a  Conan!" 


THE  BATTLE  OF  VENTRY  STRAND    143 

Conan  had  no  more  to  say  after  that.  He  hated 
to  hear  the  truth  from  the  lips  of  a  boy.  Finn,  be- 
cause he  remembered  the  fire  of  his  own  youth,  look- 
ed with  favor  upon  the  brave  lad  and  consented  to 
his  meeting  the  champion.  While  they  talked  a 
mighty  shout  came  from  the  shore. 

"What  is  that?"  asked  the  boy. 

"That  is  the  champion  calling  for  men  to  meet 
him,"  answered  Conan.  "He  has  just  finished  the 
last  of  your  bodyguard." 

"He  shall  not  have  to  wait  long,"  said  the  boy. 

A  great  shout  of  laughter  from  the  enemy  greeted 
the  approach  of  the  new  fighter.  The  champion 
joined  in  the  jeers. 

"Let  Finn  acknowledge  his  defeat  if  he  has  no 
more  men  to  send  out,"  he  cried.  "I  do  not  fight 
with  boys." 

"If  you  do  not  fight,  it  will  be  your  last  battle," 
declared  the  son  of  the  king. 

He  closed  in  battle.  Before  the  smith  realized 
that  it  was  a  real  contest,  he  had  received  several 
small  wounds.  He  began  to  fight  in  earnest.  But 
he  had  met  his  match  at  last.  They  fought  until 
their  shields  were  torn  to  shreds,  and  their  swords 
were  broken  off  at  the  hilts.  Then  they  threw  away 
the  weapons  and  struggled  with  their  bare  hands. 
Over  the  shore  they  fought,  and  finally  out  into  the 
sea,  where  they  sank  from  sight. 


144  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

The  men  of  both  sides  waited  anxiously  to  see 
which  one  would  come  up.  But  neither  appeared 
that  night.  Next  morning  the  two  bodies,  still  lock- 
ed in  a  tight  embrace,  were  washed  upon  the  sands. 
The  body  of  the  king's  son  was  on  top,  his  hands 
still  clasping  the  throat  of  his  opponent,  proving 
that  he  had  won  the  fight. 


Ill 


The  great  battle  went  on  for  a  year  and  a  day. 
Sometimes  there  were  single  combats,  sometimes 
many  men  were  engaged,  but  neither  side  could  gain 
a  complete  victory.  When  the  year  was  up  the  High 
King  resolved  to  challenge  Finn  to  single  combat. 
He  saw  that  he  was  losing  more  men  then  the  Fen- 
ians, and  that  Finn's  plan  of  campaign  would  win 
for  him  in  the  end. 

If  he  could  kill  Finn,  all  the  advantage  would  be 
on  his  side.  Also,  the  death  of  the  Fenian  chief 
would  make  complete  his  revenge  for  the  loss  of 
his  daughter.  Donn  was  not  showing  such  won- 
derful bravery  in  offering  to  meet  the  Fenian  chief. 
Finn  was  an  old  man,  without  the  great  strength 
of  his  youth.  Donn  reasoned  that  he  could  fight 
him  day  after  day  until  Finn  was  vanquished  through 
weakness.  He  did  not  fear  for  himself.  He  was 
protected  by  enchantment  and  could  not  be  killed 


THE  BATTLE  OF  VENTRY  STRAND    145 

except  with  one  sword.  That  weapon  was  locked 
up  in  his  castle  at  home,  guarded  by  his  father. 

Finn  knew  that  he  could  not  kill  the  High  King 
without  this  sword.  Yet  he  accepted  the  challenge. 
He  had  lost  so  many  of  his  men  that  he  was  sick 
at  heart.  He  welcomed  the  idea  of  getting  into  the 
fight  himself.  Even  if  he  were  killed,  he  could  still 
set  an  example  of  his  unflinching  courage.  Gaul, 
Ossian  and  Oscar  were  now  almost  recovered.  Even 
were  he  killed,  he  was  sure  Gaul  would  carry  on 
the  fight. 

On  the  night  before  the  battle  between  the  two 
leaders,  an  enchanter  from  the  side  of  the  High  King 
entered  the  Fenian  camp  and  went  straight  to  Finn. 

'T  have  left  the  camp  of  the  High  King  because 
he  has  been  unjust  to  me,''  said  the  enchanter.  *T 
am  here  to  help  you  in  your  fight  against  him." 

Finn  thanked  him  and  asked  him  what  he  could  do. 

"Perhaps  you  do  not  know  that  you  can  only  kill 
him  with  one  sword,"  said  the  man. 

'T  do  know  it,"  answered  Finn. 

"Stand  against  him  tomorrow,  and  by  night  you 
shall  have  the  sword.  I  shall  go  to  Bonn's  father 
and  tell  him  that  his  son  has  sent  me  for  his  sword 
to  use  in  the  fight  against  you.  His  father  will  give 
it  to  me  without  question." 

"Bring  me  the  weapon  and  I  shall  reward  you," 
said  Finn. 


146  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

The  two  leaders  met  the  next  day  in  combat.  The 
High  King  had  no  fear  and  fought  recklessly.  Finn 
knew  that  he  must  continue  the  battle  until  the  next 
day,  so  he  fought  with  great  care  and  was  content 
with  defending  himself  from  the  attacks  of  Donn. 
This  pleased  the  High  King  very  much.  He  thought 
that  Finn  had  lost  his  strength.  He  went  to  his 
ship  that  night  sure  that  the  next  day  would  bring 
with  it  the  defeat  of  the  Fenian  chief. 

But  he  had  a  surprise  in  store  for  him.  The  next 
morning  when  he  came  out  to  the  combat  he  found 
Finn  coming  toward  him.  He  turned  pale  when  he 
recognized  the  weapon  in  the  hands  of  his  opponent. 
Fear  gripped  his  heart  and  destroyed  his  sense  of 
honor.  He  tried  to  win  by  surprise.  Before  the 
signal  for  combat  was  given,  he  struck  a  mighty 
blow  at  Finn. 

But  for  the  heroism  of  one  of  the  Fenians  he 
would  have  succeeded.  This  young  man  rushed  in 
and  received  the  blow  intended  for  his  chief. 

When  Finn  saw  the  death  of  his  man  as  a  re- 
sult of  treachery,  a  surge  of  rage  gave  him  all  the 
strength  of  his  youth.  He  raised  the  weapon  the 
enchanter  had  brought,  and  with  one  blow  finished 
his  combat  with  Donn.  Then,  rallying  his  entire 
force  with  his  old  battle  cry,  he  set  upon  the  leader- 
less  hosts. 

That  day's  battle  was  the  fiercest  of  all.     When 


THE  BATTLE  OF  VENTRY  STRAND    147 

night  came  there  was  not  a  man  of  the  invading 
force  left  aHve.  But  there  were  no  Fenians  left  to 
give  battle  had  there  been  any  more  to  meet.  Every- 
one of  the  brave  defenders,  Finn  included,  were  dead 
or  suffering  from  severe  wounds. 

So  ended  the  battle  of  Ventry  Strand.  Erin  was 
saved  from  the  invaders,  but  at  a  fearful  cost.  The 
story  reminds  one  of  the  Trojan  War,  of  which  most 
of  us  have  read.  In  that  great  contest  we  read  of 
the  same  desperate  heroism.  Both  were  started  be- 
cause of  a  woman,  and  both  continued  until  all  the 
fighters  on  one  side  were  completely  destroyed. 


148  LEGENDARY  HEROES 


THE  DEATH  OF  DERMOT 

For  sixteen  years  after  the  flight  of  Grainne  and 
Dermot,  the  couple  Hved  in  their  home  in  the  forest. 
Dermot  was  not  unhappy,  now  that  his  remorse  for 
proving  disloyal  to  Finn  had  grown  less  keen.  He 
divided  his  time  between  hunting  in  the  forest  and 
the  training  of  his  children.  He  never  mentioned 
his  former  chief  or  his  comrades. 

Grainne  was  not  so  easily  satisfied.  She  proved 
to  be  the  kind  of  woman  who  is  always  wishing  for 
something  she  cannot  have.  When  she  was  about 
to  be  married  to  Finn,  she  wanted  Dermot.  Then, 
when  she  had  succeeded  in  getting  Dermot  to  marry 
her,  she  decided  that  she  had  been  foolish  to  run 
away  from  Finn.  While  he  was  pursuing  them, 
Grainne  had  been  perfectly  happy.  She  had  not 
wished  to  be  caught,  but  it  pleased  her  vanity  to 
be  running  away  with  one  great  hero  and  having 
another  trying  to  capture  her. 

When  Finn  gave  up  the  chase  and  she  was  allowed^ 
to  have  the  man  she  had  chosen,  she  was  no  longer 
satisfied.  She  decided  that  Finn  must  come  and  visit 
them.  The  reason  she  gave  Dermot  for  this  wish 
was,  that  their  daughter  could  never  pick  a  husband 


THE  DEATH  OF  OF  DERMOT         149 

if  she  was  never  to  see  any  of  the  heroes  of  the 
country.  What  she  really  desired  was  to  have  Finn 
come  and  tell  her  that  he  envied  Dermot  his  good 
fortune  in  getting  such  a  fine  wife,  or  to  have  him 
show,  in  some  way,  that  he  was  sorry  he  could  not 
marry  her. 

Dermot  finally  yielded  to  her  arguments  and  sent 
the  invitation  to  Finn.  At  first  the  Fenian  leader 
refused  to  consider  such  a  visit.  The  invitation  re- 
minded him  of  what  he  called  the  treachery  of  the 
man  who  had  been  his  friend.  But  Ossian  and 
Oscar  reasoned  with  him  and  urged  him  to  make  the 
visit  as  a  sign  of  forgiveness.  They  told  him  that 
it  did  not  look  well  for  a  rnighty  leader  to  hold  a 
grudge  for  so  long.  They  insisted  that  it  was  just 
his  pride  which  kept  him  away,  and  that  he  really 
wanted  to  see  Dermot. 

Finn  finally  consented.  He  took  Oscar  and  Ossian 
with  him  and  went  to  the  home  in  the  forest. 

Their  reception  was  a  cordial  one.  Dermot  was 
like  a  boy  in  his  pleasure  at  meetmg  his  former  chief 
and  his  old  friends.  As  for  Finn,  he  seemed  to  for- 
get his  injured  pride  in  the  joy  of  being  once  more 
on  good  terms  with  Dermot.  For  several  days  it 
was  a  happy  party.  Through  the  day  they  hunted 
together ;  in  the  evenings  they  feasted  and  told  stories 
of  the  hard  combats  of  the  past.  Finn  even  went 
so  far  as  to  admit  that  the  need  of  Dermot's  sword 
very  nearly  caused  the  defeat  of  the  Fenians  in  the 


150  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

Battle  of  Ventry  Strand.  It  seemed  as  if  the  past 
was  all  forgotten,  and  that  Dermot  would  once  more 
become  a  member  of  the  Fenian  band. 

But  Grainne  never  was  content.  Once  more  she 
caused  trouble  between  the  two  men.  She  soon 
proved  that  it  was  for  neither  her  husband  nor  her 
daughter  that  she  desired  the  visit  of  Finn.  When 
he  had  come,  he  had  greeted  her  cordially,  and  then 
had  seemed  to  forget  all  about  her.  This  hurt  her 
pride.  She  began  to  make  herself  very  agreeable 
to  him  and  to  seek  him  out  at  every  opportunity. 
She  tried  to  do  little  things  for  him  which  would 
bring  her  to  his  notice. 

Now,  Grainne  could  be  very  charming  when  she 
tried,  and  she  was  still  a  very  beautiful  woman. 
Finn  began  to  take  an  interest  in  her.  Then,  Grainne, 
hoping  to  get  some  statement  of  regret  from  him, 
called  up  the  circumstances  of  that  flight,  sixteen 
years  before. 

Finn's  anger,  which  had  died  almost  to  ashes, 
burst  into  a  flame  again.  He  no  longer  took  pleas- 
ure in  the  company  of  Dermot.  Even  when  he  tried 
to  look  pleasantly  at  his  host,  the  fire  in  his  eyes 
could  not  be  hidden.  Ossian  saw  the  change  and 
urged  that  the  visit  be  brought  to  a  close.  Finn  put 
him  off  angrily  and  refused  to  leave. 

Grainne  was  pleased  with  the  results  of  her  scheme. 
It  was  not  that  she  did  not  still  love  her  husband. 


THE  DEATH  OF  OF  DERMOT         151 

You  see,  she  knew  that  Dermot  could  not  be  wounded 
by  Finn.  She  thought  there  was  no  danger,  and  it 
was  pleasing  to  her  vanity  to  know  that  once  again 
two  fine  men  were  interested  in  her. 

One  night  the  men  were  awakened  by  the  con- 
tinued baying  of  the  hounds.  This  could  only  mean 
that  some  large  animals  were  prowling  around.  So, 
early  next  morning,  they  went  out  upon  a  hunt. 
Oscar  and  Ossian  took  one  path  and  Finn  and  Der- 
mot the  other.  The  latter  had  not  gone  far  when 
they  met  an  excited  peasant,  who  informed  them 
-that  a  terrible  wild  boar  was  roaming  about,  spread- 
ing death  and  destruction  m  its  path. 

Dermot  paused.  He  knew  that  hunting  the  wild 
boar  was  forbidden  to  him.  The  proper  thing  for 
him  to  do  was  to  go  back,  and  he  knew  it.  Finn 
watched  him  anxiously. 

"You  had  better  go  back,  Dermot,''  he  said.  "This 
is  hardly  a  safe  pastime  for  you.'' 

Dermot  flushed  with  anger.  "It  is  plain  that  you 
desire  my  death,  Finn  MacCool,"  he  said,  "or  you 
would  not  say  such  a  thing  to  me.  You  know  full 
well  that  I  cannot  turn  back  when  you  question  my 
bravery." 

Finn  said  no  more.  He  felt  sure  that  Dermot 
would  continue  the  hunt  m  spite  of  the  warnings 
of  his  foster-father.  They  had  gone  but  a  few  yards 
when  a  great  boar  burst  out  of  the  forest  and  made 


152  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

toward  them.  Dermot  hurled  his  spear.  It  glanced 
off  the  thick  skull.  He  drew  his  sword,  but  before 
he  could  use  it,  the  boar  knocked  him  down  and 
tore  him  cruelly  with  his  tusks.  Even  as  he  fell, 
Dermot  crushed  the  skull  of  the  beast  with  the  hilt 
of  his  sword. 

Finn  had  made  no  move  to  assist  in  the  killing 
of  the  boar.  Now  he  came  over  and  looked  at  Der- 
mot. The  wounded  man  implored  him  to  do  some- 
thing for  him. 

"I  am  sorry  to  see  you  this  way,  Dermot,"  he  said. 
"But  I  can  never  forget  that  you  proved  untrue  to 
me  sixteen  years  ago.  There  is  nothing  I  can  do 
for  you." 

'There  is,"  answered  Dermot.  "You  can  restore 
me  to  health  by  giving  me  a  drink  from  your  two 
hands." 

"There  is  no  well,"  said  Finn,   making  excuses. 

"There  is  one  just  a  few  paces  behind  you,"  said 
Dermot. 

Finn  made  no  move  to  go.  His  anger  held  him 
back. 

"Can't  you  remember  how  you  were  bound  and 
suffering  in  the  dungeon  of  the  White  Nation  ?  I 
did  not  hesitate  to  go  through  every  trial  to  rescue 
you.  Will  you  refuse  me  now?  For  the  sake  of 
what  I  have  done  for  you,  give  me  a  drink  that 
will  heal  me." 


THE  DEATH  OF  OF  DERMOT         153 

Finn  was  filled  with  remorse.  He  went  to  the  well 
and  started  back  with  his  cupped  hands  full  of  water. 
But  as  he  walked  he  saw  before  him  a  picture  of 
that  hall  in  Tara.  Again  he  felt  the  disgrace  of 
having  his  trusted  friend  prove  disloyal  to  him.  The 
water  trickled  through  his  fingers,  and  he  came 
back  with  nothing. 

By  that  time  Oscar  and  Ossian  had  come  up  and 
had  knelt  beside  the  wounded  man.  Dermot  looked 
up  at  Finn  with  a  pleading  look  in  his  eyes. 

"I  could  not  bring  it,"  said  Finn.  "It  is  too  far 
to  carry  it.     The  water  all  runs  away." 

"You  can  bring  it  if  you  wish,"  insisted  Dermot. 
"I  know  you  are  angry  because  I  took  Grainne  away 
that  night.  But  Oscar  will  tell  you  that  it  was  much 
against  my  will.  She  put  me  under  bonds,  and  I 
had  to  go,  just  as  you  had  to  bring  Teasa  from  the 
land  of  Avarta.  Your  men  did  not  turn  against  you 
because  you  brought  trouble  to  Erin  by  that  act. 
For  the  sake  of  our  old  friendship,  get  me  the  drink 
before  it  is  too  late!" 

Once  more  a  flood  of  pity  and  remorse  came  over 
Finn.  He  recognized  the  justice  of  Dermot 's  plea. 
Again  he  hurried  to  the  well  and  filled  his  hands. 
But  when  he  started  back  to  the  dying  man  he 
seemed  to  see  Grainne  in  front  of  him.  She  seem- 
ed to  be  smiling  at  him  and  beckoning  to  him.  Once 
more  the  water  ran  out  through  his  fingers,  and  he 
came  back  with  his  hands  empty. 


154  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

When  he  approached  this  time,  Dermot  was  too 
weak  to  speak.  Only  his  eyes  pled  for  the  water. 
Oscar  could  not  stand  it  any  longer.  He  sprang 
to  his  feet  and  drew  his  sword. 

"Though  you  are  my  chief,  I  will  not  stand  by 
and  see  you  do  this  great  wrong!"  he  cried.  "You 
must  get  the  water  or  one  of  us  will  never  leave 
this  forest  alive!" 

Oscar's  just  anger  brought  Finn  to  his  senses. 
He  put  all  thoughts  of  pride  and  the  woman  from 
his  mind.  He  hurriedly  filled  his  hands  and  has- 
tened back  to  Dermot's  side.  He  was  too  late.  The 
mighty  hero  was  dead. 

They  made  preparations  to  take  away  the  body, 
for  burial.  But  their  help  was  not  needed.  The  god, 
Angus,  appeared  and  with  him  four  shining  heroes, 
bearmg  a  golden  bier.  On  this  they  placed  the  body 
of  Dermot  and  walked  majestically  away. 

"I  cannot  give  him  back  his  life,"  said  Angus. 
"But  I  can  take  his  body  with  me,  and  I  can  have 
his  soul  to  keep  me  company." 

Then  all  vanished  in  a  blaze  of  light.  Finn,  Oscar 
and  Ossian  were  left  alone  in  the  forest. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  GOWRA     155 


THE  BATTLE  OF  GOWRA 

A  few  years  after  the  death  of  Dermot  the  old 
trouble  between  the  High  King  of  Tara  and  the  Fen- 
ians arose  again.  Cormack  was  dead,  but  his  son 
was  even  more  bitter  against  the  army.  He  made, 
up  his  mind  that  he  would  destroy  the  forces  entirely. 

The  new  ruler  realized  that  he  could  never  raise 
a  sufficient  force  to  meet  the  Fenians  in  battle.  He 
determined  upon  a  less  dangerous,  though  less  hon- 
orable, method.  He  endeavored  to  promote  a  quar- 
rel between  two  factions,  so  that  the  groups  would 
destroy  themselves.  The  High  King,  you  see,  was 
a  man  of  wisdom. 

This  plan  was  an  easy  one  to  accomplish.  You 
have  not  forgotten  that  Gaul  of  Morna  had  held  the 
leadership  of  the  Fenians  for  the  ten  years  between 
the  death  of  Cool  and  the  arrival  of  Finn.  He  had 
been  loyal  to  Finn  all  through  the  later  years,  but 
beneath  his  loyalty  ran  a  thin  current  of  envy.  He 
was  the  older  man  of  the  two.  It  was  easy  to  tell 
him  that,  because  of  his  age,  he  should  be  chief. 
Envy  is  a  poison  that  works  silently,  but  it  works 
harder  when  it  is  thought  about.  The  High  King 
gradually  convinced  Gaul  that  it  would  be  to  his  in- 


156  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

terest  to  quarrel  with  Finn  and  take  part  of  the 
army  with  him. 

Finn's  treatment  of  Dermot  shows  us  that  he  be- 
came more  revengeful  in  his  later  years.  He  did  not 
take  part  in  so  many  adventures  requiring  him  to 
use  his  strength,  so  he  had  more  time  to  think  over 
what  people  had  done  to  him.  He  never  forgot  that 
it  was  Gaul  who  had  given  his  father  his  mortal 
wound.  As  long  as  Gaul  was  his  faithful  follower, 
he  did  not  hold  this  fact  against  him.  But  when 
Gaul  began  to  grow  bitter  in  his  dealings  with  his 
chief,  Finn  made  the  quarreling  easy  by  recalling 
this  fight.    Both  men  were  willing  to  come  to  blows. 

The  High  King  went  with  Gaul  through  the  ranks 
of  the  Fenians  and,  by  promises  and  bribes,  won 
over  a  large  number.  The  fact  that  the  High  King 
was  on  the  side  of  Gaul  made  it  appear  to  these  men 
that  those  who  were  disloyal  to  Finn  would  prob- 
ably be  on  the  winning  side.  In  the  end,  the  two 
forces  were  about  equal.  Then  the  High  King  and 
Gaul  moved  to  attack  the  forces  of  Finn. 

Finn  was  sick  at  heart  at  the  thought  that  his 
splendid  army  was  to  be  cut  to  pieces  by  the  treach- 
erous plot  of  the  High  King.  He  would  gladly  have 
given  up  his  command  if  that  act  would  have  saved 
the  men  from  fighting  among  themselves.  His  know- 
ledge, however,  told  him  that  it  was  the  plan  of  the 
High  King  to  get  the  two  groups  to  so  weaken  them- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  GOWRA  157 

selves  that  he  could  gather  a  force  large  enough  to 
defeat  those  left.  Finn  knew  what  Gaul  did  not  un- 
derstand, that  he  was  to  be  used  and  later  put  out 
of  the  way. 

The  forces  of  Gaul  met  those  of  Finn  at  Gowra, 
just  at  evening.  In  those  days  no  one  thought  of 
fighting  at  night.  The  two  forces  built  their  camps 
and  waited  for  morning  light  to  give  the  signal  for 
the  combat. 

All  through  the  early  hours  of  the  night  Finn 
paced  his  camp  and  tried  to  make  a  plan  which  would 
stop  the  struggle  of  the  next  day.  If  the  High  King 
had  not  been  on  the  side  of  Gaul,  he  felt  that  the 
trouble  would  never  have  occurred.  At  midnight 
he  left  his  own  camp  and  went,  alone,  to  the  quar- 
ters of  Gaul  and  the  High  King. 

These  two  men  were  greatly  alarmed  to  wake  and 
find  Finn  beside  them.  Both  sprang  to  their  feet 
and  seized  their  weapons.  They  thought  that  Finn 
meant  to  do  away  with  them  by  treachery. 

''Have  no  fear,''  said  Finn.  "I  have  come  by  my- 
self, and  my  purpose  is  to  talk,  not  fight.  I  have 
come  to  see  if  there  is  not  some  way  in  which  we 
can  stop  the  slaughter  of  the  men  of  Erin." 

Both  men  were  silent.  Finally  Gaul  spoke,  "There, 
is  one  way,"  he  said.  "You  may  give  up  the  lead- 
ership and  tell  your  men  to  obey  me." 

Finn  turned  to  the  High  King.  "If  that  will  stop 
the  struggle,  then  I  will  accept  the  terms." 


158  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

The  crafty  High  King  was  not  pleased.  A  peace 
which  would  leave  the  Fenians  as  strong  as  ever 
was  the  last  thing  he  wanted.  He  pretended  to  doubt 
Finn's  word. 

"It  is  but  a  trick/'  he  said  to  Gaul.  "Finn  would 
have  us  believe  that  he  wants  peace,  so  that  he  may 
attack  us  unawares.  Tomorrow's  contest  shall  de- 
cide all  things  which  are  at  stake." 

"Then  I  make  one  other  proposition  to  you,"  said 
Finn,  addressing  the  High  King.  "I  will  meet  you 
in  single  combat  tomorrow  morning.  If  you  best 
me,  you  will  have  a  clear  field  to  take  my  men  as 
your  followers.  If  I  prove  the  better  fighter,  Gaul 
and  I  will  be  left  to  decide  the  leadership." 

The  High  King  had  been  whispering  to  some  of 
his  men  near  him.  These  went  out  into  the  dark- 
ness before  he  replied  to  the  challenge. 

"I  refuse  your  challenge,"  he  said,  with  an  attempt 
to  cover  his  fear  with  haughtiness.  "It  would  not 
be  fitting  that  an  army  leader  should  meet  his  king 
in  a  single  combat." 

"Then  I  can  do  no  more,"  declared  Finn.  "I  must 
go  back  and  leave  the  decision  to  the  morrow." 

The  High  King  laughed  excitedly.  "That  you 
shall  not  do,"  he  said.  "Our  men  have  been  awak- 
ened and  are  between  you  and  your  camp.  Tonight 
they  will  settle  your  claims  for  leadership;  tomor- 
row your  men  will  fight  without  you." 


THE  BATTLE  OF  GOWRA  159 

Finn  looked  at  the  forces,  now  awake  and  sur- 
rounding him.  It  was  the  basest  kind  of  treachery. 
He  turned  to  Gaul  of  Morna. 

"Gaul,  you  took  the  vow  to  be  honorable  in  your 
dealings.  Are  you  willing  that  I  shall  face  your 
army,  when  I  came  in  peace  as  a  messenger?  Are 
you  a  party  to  this  treachery?" 

"I  am  not!"  cried  Gaul.  "Never  shall  it  be  said 
that  Gaul  of  Morna  knew  not  how  to  treat  a  mes- 
senger of  the  foe.  I  shall  conduct  you  through  our 
forces,  and  woe  to  any  man  who  raises  a  spear 
against  you!" 

"I  thank  you,  Gaul,"  said  Finn. 

Without  even  glancing  at  the  High  King,  Finn 
followed  Gaul  out  into  the  night.  His  guide  es- 
corted him  to  the  edge  of  his  own  camp  before  turn- 
mg  to  go  back.    Finn  made  a  last  appeal  to  him. 

"It  grieves  me,  Gaul,  to  see  this  battle  take  place. 
I  know  that  the  High  King  but  uses  you  to  cause 
the  destruction  of  the  Fenians.  I  pray  you,  give  up 
the  struggle  and  come  back  to  us." 

Gaul  was  deeply  moved.  "I  fear  you  are  right," 
he  said.  "But,  right  or  wrong,  I  must  go  on.  I 
have  driven  my  game  out  into  the  open.  I  must 
capture  it  or  lose  the  respect  of  my  men." 

Then  Gaul  went  back  to  his  camp. 


160  LEGENDARY  HEROES 

II 

With  the  first  streaks  of  morning  Hght,  the  great 
battle  of  Gowra  began.  The  men  fought  as  only 
Fenians  could  fight  against  one  another.  Finn  threw 
himself  into  the  struggle  with  reckless  bravery,  but 
the  late  afternoon  found  him  still  unwounded.  Many 
a  splendid  hero  went  down,  Gaul  of  Morna  among 
them.  The  High  King,  however,  did  not  allow  the 
fight  to  lag  when  his  leader  was  killed.  He  took 
charge  of  the  forces  himself. 

Finn  tried  all  day  to  get  his  monarch  into  a  com- 
bat with  him,  but  the  High  King  was  too  shrewd. 
He  kept  clear  of  any  of  the  stronger  fighters  of 
Finn's  forces.  It  was  Oscar,  wounded  and  tired, 
who  finally  cornered  him  and  forced  him  to  fight 
or  show  his  cowardice. 

Like  a  rat  in  a  trap,  the  High  King  put  up  a  des- 
perate battle.  He  was  fresh  and  strong,  and  so  was 
almost  a  match  for  the  wounded  Oscar.  The  end 
came  when  both  men  sank  to  the  ground  at  the  same 
time.  Before  Finn  could  reach  the  side  of  his  grand- 
son, both  men  were  dead. 

Then  Finn's  mighty  heart  broke.  He  looked  about 
the  field,  where  small  groups  of  men  still  struggled 
desperately.  He  determined  that  the  contest  should 
stop.  He  blew  a  loud  blast  on  his  horn.  The  men 
stopped  in  surprise.  Finn's  voice  rang  out  over 
the  field. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  GOWRA  161 

"Men  of  Erin/'  he  called.  "Sad  am  I  that  I  have 
lived  to  see  the  day  when  brother  fights  against 
brother,  friend  against  friend.  Let  the  fighting 
cease.  Gaul  and  the  High  King  are  dead,  and  Finn 
will  soon  be  with  you  no  longer.  I  care  not  to  live 
to  think  over  this  useless  conflict.  From  now  on  the 
Fenians  will  live  only  in  song  and  story.  Go  back 
to  the  chase  and  the  pursuits  of  peace.  I  command 
you  never  to  draw  sword  again  unless  it  be  to  pro- 
tect Erin  from  a  foreign  foe.'' 

Then  Finn  called  his  servant  and  bade  him  bring- 
to  him  the  drinking  horn  from  his  camp.  This  horn 
he  had  carried  with  him  all  through  his  later  years. 
It  held  the  magic  water  which  would  bring  sleep 
and  forgetfulness  to  any  who  drank  from  it.  When 
the  horn  was  brought  he  drained  it  to  the  last  drop. 
Then  he  bade  farewell  to  his  men,  took  his  weapons 
with  him  and  went  into  a  cave  on  the  hillside  to  await 
the  sleep  that  was  already  stealing  over  his  limbs. 

A  thousand  years  rolled  by.  A  new  race  of  peo- 
ple took  possession  of  Erin.  Only  from  the  lips  of. 
the  poets  and  the  bards  could  one  hear  of  the  mighty 
heroes.  Some  laugh  and  say  the  tales  are  not  true. 
But  the  legend  is  still  told  among  the  Irish  peasants 
that  Finn  still  sleeps  in  his  cave  on  the  hill,  and  that 
if  Ireland  ever  is  invaded  again,  he  will  come  out 
and  gather  his  Fenians  for  battle. 

The  End. 


YC  89S4S 


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